How to check the same etymology words?

Question

Hi,I am beginning to learn english words through etymology since I find it is a very effective way. I just wonder if on the web somewhere there are some good resource on this.For example, I just checked out permeate and its root meare means "to pass' in Latin. Then how to check out what are other typical words whose roots are also meare?Thanks.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi, I am beginning to learn english words through etymology since I find it is a very effective way. I ... means "to pass' in Latin. Then how to check out what are other typical words whose roots are also meare?[/nq]
I suggest that you obtain a copy of
Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary that includes the CD-ROM. There's an "Advanced Search" feature with it that doesn't seem to be available with the free online Collegiate .
With the Advanced Search feature you can specify that you want to look for your search argument in a number of places, one of which is etymologies.
When I do this with "meare" it returns four entries, one of which, surprisingly, is "congé", a word I've never encountered before.
The search yields only three other words, "irremeable", "meatus", and "permeate".
You can see the online Collegiate 's erymology of "congé" at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=conge . (The etymology of "congé" in the 11th Collegiate is comewhat more expansive than in the online Collegiate .)
Incidentally, learning word meanings through etymology is not a good way to go. The meanings of many English words have departed so far from their etyma that there's no readily apparent connection. One example is "cohort", whose relation to "horticulture" is really distant. There are many others.
But let me hasten to add that while using etymology to learn word meanings is a bad way to go, investigating etymological connections for their own sake is for me a fascinating way to spend time.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi, I am beginning to learn english words through etymology since I find it is a very effective way. I ... means "to pass' in Latin. Then how to check out what are other typical words whose roots are also meare?[/nq]
There are a number of books available that deal specifically with etymologies. Try amazon.com or your local bookstore.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br ss hs/102-2423545-9676918?search-alias=aps&keywords=etymology

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I suggest that you obtain a copy of Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary that includes the CD-ROM. There's an ... specify that you want to look for your search argument in a number of places, one of which is etymologies.[/nq]
Here is a link for a free online site with such search capabilities: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php
Jérôme

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am beginning to learn english words through etymology since I find it is a very effective way. I just wonder if on the web somewhere there are some good resource on this.[/nq]
I agree with Bob Cunningham that etymology is not the primary way to learn the meanings of words. However, an excellent book is "Chambers Dictionary of Etymology", by Robert K. Barnhart, originally called the "Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology". It is a large volume offering short definitions along with etymologies.
ER Lyon

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I am beginning to learn english words through etymology since ... the web somewhere there are some good resource on this.[/nq]
[nq:1]I agree with Bob Cunningham that etymology is not the primary way to learn the meanings of words. However, an ... K. Barnhart, originally called the "Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology". It is a large volume offering short definitions along with etymologies.[/nq]
Having been given a copy at Christmas, I can confirm that the Chambers edition mentioned above is excellent.
I also agree with both the previous posters on the other point that they make. Whilst etymology is fascinating in its own right, it needs to be used with extreme caution as a tool for learning a language. Words change meanings and shape over time, and a word's origin can be a very poor guide to its current meaning and usages. You're likely to learn far more about English history, from the etymology of the language, than you'll ever learn about the language as it's used today. What is certain, though, is that you won't get a feel for the nuances of words, and you're likely to end up making some seriously humourous or embarassing blunders unless you're careful.

To take a couple of English examples from a book I'm currently reading: "catch" and "chase" have identical etymology, having been borrowed twice from the same Norman French root. Similarly, "warden" and "guardian". "Catch" and "chase" have related but very different meanings nowadays. "Warden" and "guardian" have related but different meanings with subtleties of difference that etymology can't possibly convey (I was tempted to say that there's a "nice" difference between them, but - to give another example of the pitfalls that await the unwary - that sense of the word has long since disappeared from everyday use in favour of a quite different meaning).

Cheers - Ian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]To take a couple of English examples from a book I'm currently reading: "catch" and "chase" have identical etymology, having ... different meanings nowadays. "Warden" and "guardian" have related but different meanings with subtleties of difference that etymology can't possibly convey[/nq]
Other pairs of words borrowed at different times from Norman French have that same 'g' versus 'w' pattern:
Warranty - Guarantee
Reward - Regard
(Is it John McWhorter that you are reading?)
Richard Yates

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]To take a couple of English examples from a book ... meanings with subtleties of difference that etymology can't possibly convey[/nq]
[nq:1]Other pairs of words borrowed at different times from Norman French have that same 'g' versus 'w' pattern: Warranty - Guarantee Reward - Regard (Is it John McWhorter that you are reading?)[/nq]
Geoffrey Hughes
Cheers - Ian

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