Here's a breakdown of its etymology:
* Greek "etymon": This is the root word, meaning "true sense" or "true meaning."
* Greek "-logia": This suffix is commonly used in English to form nouns denoting "study," "science," or "theory."
* "Etymologia": This is the Latinization of the Greek word "etymon," meaning "the study of the true meaning of words."
* "Etymology": The English word "etymology" derives directly from the Latin "etymologia," first appearing in English in the 15th century.
So, the word "etymology" literally translates to "the study of the true meaning of words."
Interestingly, "etymology" is an example of a word that has its own etymology: the word itself reflects the process of tracing back the origins of words.