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It might seem odd that the Serbian noun 'grlo' (in Cyrillic грло) is related to English 'girl', and it may seem even more peculiar to speculate that girl comes from the corresponding Proto-Slavic word. This reasoning is quite plausible if we take into account that 'grlo' in Serbian also denotes a head of cattle, usually a horse, and also a household member.
Additionally, the original meaning of the noun girl was "child in general" (boy or girl, and that usually marked with plural). The emergence of meaning 'čeljade' (members of a household) in relation to the noun 'grlo' (neck in Serbian) is motivated in Serbian. Proto-IndoEuropean root *guer- gained its expansion -dlo only in BaltoSlavic languages (ProtoSlavic *grъdlo > O.C.S. гръло, Russian горло, Polish gardlo, Old Prussian gircele). In Germanic languages an expected shift had occurred: Old High German querka, querechela 'throat', Old Islandic kuerk 'throat, craw'. In Latin gurgulio 'throat, trachea' has l, but doesn't have the meaning of a household member and could not have produced the meaning ‘girl’.
The explanation for this is quite sensible and is verifiable by historical and geographic sources. Namely, this is probably the case of a Germanic loanword from a Slavic dialect from the north of today's East Germany, the area where West Slavs (Sorbs or Wends) and Anglo-Saxons had been in direct contact.
The above-mentioned circumstances would explain why etymological dictionaries fail to pinpoint the most probable origin of some frequent English words such as boy, girl, berry, glad, etc. – they mostly neglect the Slavic influence on the Anglo-Saxon language stratum.
Vukašin Damjanović
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Make a sentence using the word etymology?
The etymology of the word "vaccine" can be traced back to the Latin term "vaccīnus," meaning "pertaining to cows," due to the early use of cowpox in vaccination.
What does the etymology associated with a dictionary entry has to do with?
Etymology in a dictionary entry refers to the origin and historical development of the word. It helps explain how the word came into the language, its original meaning, and how its usage has evolved over time. Understanding etymology can provide insight into the word's current meaning and usage.
What is the study of the original root of a word called?
The study of the original root of a word is called etymology. Etymology examines the history and evolution of words, including their origins and how their meanings have changed over time.
The information regarding the origin and development of a word is that word's?
etymology. Etymology is the study of the history and evolution of words. It tracks the changes in form and meaning that words undergo over time.
In the dictionary a word's etymology can show you .?
the word's origin, development, and historical usage.
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What is the etymology of etymology?
The etymology of etymology is from the greek etumologia which means "true sense of a word"
Does a thesaurus give the etymology of a word?
No, a thesaurus does not give the etymology of a word. However, the etymology can be found in a dictionary.
How does A thesaurus gives the etymology of a word?
No, a thesaurus does not give the etymology of a word. However, the etymology can be found in a dictionary.
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What is a words' etymology?
The etymology of a word is the source from which it was derived.
How do you use etymology in a sentence?
The word means the history of a linguist form, such as words. So; The etymology of the word salt is Latin in origin. The etymology of the word biology is Greek in origin.
What is a sentence for etymology?
I'd like to know the etymology of that word.
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What is the root word of the word etymology?
Root words for Etymology are: etymological etymologically etymologist pseudoetymological pseudoetymologically
What do you call the study of word origins?
The study of word origins is called etymology. In my student days I was told that it is one of the less exact areas of historical linguistics.
