Root of the Week: LOG (Thursday)

Philology, Etymology, Lexicology (Noun)

There are several -ologies that relate to language and writing. Philology (from the Greek phil, meaning “love”) refers to the love of and study of language, learning, and literature. It is a somewhat old-fashioned word for what we mostly call “linguistics” today. Among the aspects of language studied by philologists or linguists is etymology, concerned with the origin and evolution of words. If you are reading this, you are learning about etymology right now! The Greek etymos means “actual” or “true” and etymologists seek to establish the true origin of words.

In Greek, lexicon means “word” or “book.” Lexicology, like philology, is the study of words. The lexicon of a language is its body of words—its vocabulary—so a person who compiles a book containing those words and their definitions, that is, a dictionary, is a lexicologist.