Etymological dictionary

An etymological dictionary discusses the etymology of the words listed. Often, large dictionaries, such as the OED and Webster's, will contain some etymological information, without aspiring to focus on etymology.

Related Topics:
Etymology - OED - Webster's

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Although useful tools, etymological dictionaries must be used with some caution, as research in historical linguistics often renders the etymologies listed in such dictionaries suspect or obsolete. Moreover, some etymologies are controversial, so the editor of an etymological dictionary must decide how much space to devote to covering all theories of a certain word's origin.

Related Topics:
Historical linguistics - Editor

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