115:
Erroneous etymologies can exist for many reasons. Some are reasonable interpretations of the evidence that happen to be false. For a given word there may often have been many serious attempts by scholars to propose etymologies based on the best information available at the time, and these can be
92:
and can be more colorful and fanciful than the typical etymologies found in dictionaries, often involving stories of unusual practices in particular subcultures (e.g. Oxford students from non-noble families being supposedly forced to write
49:) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a
186:
61:
may also refer to the process by which a word or phrase is changed because of a popular false etymology. To disambiguate the usage of the term "folk/popular etymology",
380:
120:, for example, were plausible given the insights available at the time, but have often been rejected by modern linguists. The etymologies of
256:
343:
241:
127:
Other false etymologies are the result of specious and untrustworthy claims made by individuals, such as the unfounded claims made by
124:
scholars in the early modern period began to produce more reliable results, but many of their hypotheses have also been superseded.
206:
535:
74:
580:
575:
201:
570:
251:
236:
565:
384:
325:
62:
287:
359:
216:
428:
406:
550:
335:
117:
30:
This article is about false theories of word origins. For word change through popular usage, see
560:
339:
307:
299:
528:
261:
555:
288:"The inevitability of folk etymology: a case of collective reality and invisible hands"
191:
150:
128:
58:
31:
303:
544:
500:
231:
221:
78:
450:
226:
89:
475:
329:
246:
116:
later modified or rejected as linguistic scholarship advances. The results of
17:
81:, and the GPE refers to neologization generated by a popular false etymology.
311:
196:
85:
156:
In the United States, some of these scandalous legends have had to do with
139:
133:
121:
145:
211:
161:
176:
have been alleged to stem from derogatory terms or racist practices.
157:
103:
77:(GPE): the DOPE refers to a popular false etymology involving no
331:
Language
Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew
383:. Oxford Dictionaries Online. 2013-08-21. Archived from
286:
Rundblad, Gabriella; Kronenfeld, David B. (2003-01-01).
429:"Language Log: The bunkum of 'The Bunkum of Bunkum'?"
187:List of common false etymologies of English words
131:that hundreds of common English words such as
362:. English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
65:proposes a clear-cut distinction between the
8:
476:"Etymology on the phrase 'passing the buck'"
27:Popular, but false belief about word origins
407:"Language Log: Gullibility in high places"
381:"What is the origin of the word 'snob'?"
278:
536:Popular Fallacies – the Nonsense Nine
7:
449:Mikkelson, David (21 January 2017).
257:Pseudoscientific language comparison
97:by their name, soon abbreviated to
67:derivational-only popular etymology
242:List of proposed etymologies of OK
25:
530:Spook Etymology on the Internet
1:
427:Liberman, Mark (2006-07-06).
405:Zwicky, Arnold (2007-11-09).
360:"nouns – Etymology of "snob""
304:10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00059-0
75:generative popular etymology
597:
29:
207:Chinese word for "crisis"
202:Bongo-Bongo (linguistics)
252:Phono-semantic matching
237:Linguistic interference
164:; common words such as
88:often have the feel of
501:"Etymology of Crowbar"
59:folk/popular etymology
292:Journal of Pragmatics
431:. Itre.cis.upenn.edu
409:. Itre.cis.upenn.edu
387:on December 30, 2011
217:Etymological fallacy
111:Source and influence
326:Zuckermann, Ghil'ad
581:Semantic relations
507:. 14 December 2008
482:. 22 December 2013
336:Palgrave Macmillan
118:medieval etymology
63:Ghil'ad Zuckermann
576:Pseudolinguistics
527:Richard Lederer,
101:, hence the word
57:). Nevertheless,
55:popular etymology
16:(Redirected from
588:
516:
515:
513:
512:
497:
491:
490:
488:
487:
472:
466:
465:
463:
461:
446:
440:
439:
437:
436:
424:
418:
417:
415:
414:
402:
396:
395:
393:
392:
377:
371:
370:
368:
367:
356:
350:
349:
322:
316:
315:
283:
149:derive from the
47:pseudo-etymology
21:
596:
595:
591:
590:
589:
587:
586:
585:
541:
540:
524:
519:
510:
508:
499:
498:
494:
485:
483:
474:
473:
469:
459:
457:
448:
447:
443:
434:
432:
426:
425:
421:
412:
410:
404:
403:
399:
390:
388:
379:
378:
374:
365:
363:
358:
357:
353:
346:
324:
323:
319:
285:
284:
280:
276:
271:
266:
262:Semantic change
182:
113:
95:sine nobilitate
39:false etymology
35:
28:
23:
22:
18:Pseudoetymology
15:
12:
11:
5:
594:
592:
584:
583:
578:
573:
571:Misconceptions
568:
563:
558:
553:
543:
542:
539:
538:
533:
523:
522:External links
520:
518:
517:
492:
467:
451:"Picnic Pique"
441:
419:
397:
372:
351:
345:978-1403917232
344:
317:
298:(1): 119–138.
277:
275:
272:
270:
267:
265:
264:
259:
254:
249:
244:
239:
234:
229:
224:
219:
214:
209:
204:
199:
194:
192:Back-formation
189:
183:
181:
178:
151:Irish language
129:Daniel Cassidy
112:
109:
51:folk etymology
43:fake etymology
32:folk etymology
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
593:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
566:Urban legends
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
548:
546:
537:
534:
532:
531:
526:
525:
521:
506:
502:
496:
493:
481:
477:
471:
468:
456:
452:
445:
442:
430:
423:
420:
408:
401:
398:
386:
382:
376:
373:
361:
355:
352:
347:
341:
337:
333:
332:
327:
321:
318:
313:
309:
305:
301:
297:
293:
289:
282:
279:
273:
268:
263:
260:
258:
255:
253:
250:
248:
245:
243:
240:
238:
235:
233:
232:Just-so story
230:
228:
225:
223:
222:False cognate
220:
218:
215:
213:
210:
208:
205:
203:
200:
198:
195:
193:
190:
188:
185:
184:
179:
177:
175:
171:
167:
163:
159:
154:
152:
148:
147:
142:
141:
136:
135:
130:
125:
123:
119:
110:
108:
106:
105:
100:
96:
91:
90:urban legends
87:
82:
80:
79:neologization
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
33:
19:
529:
509:. Retrieved
504:
495:
484:. Retrieved
479:
470:
458:. Retrieved
454:
444:
433:. Retrieved
422:
411:. Retrieved
400:
389:. Retrieved
385:the original
375:
364:. Retrieved
354:
330:
320:
295:
291:
281:
227:False friend
173:
169:
165:
155:
144:
138:
132:
126:
114:
102:
98:
94:
83:
70:
66:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
36:
247:Phonestheme
86:etymologies
545:Categories
511:2015-07-12
505:Snopes.com
486:2015-07-12
480:Snopes.com
455:Snopes.com
435:2015-07-12
413:2015-07-12
391:2013-08-26
366:2013-08-26
274:References
73:) and the
551:Etymology
312:0378-2166
197:Backronym
561:Folklore
328:(2003).
180:See also
122:humanist
460:5 March
212:Eggcorn
174:crowbar
162:slavery
140:grumble
134:baloney
342:
310:
172:, and
166:picnic
158:racism
146:bunkum
143:, and
99:s.nob.
556:Error
269:Notes
84:Such
462:2018
340:ISBN
308:ISSN
170:buck
160:and
104:snob
71:DOPE
53:(or
300:doi
107:).
45:or
547::
503:.
478:.
453:.
338:.
334:.
306:.
296:35
294:.
290:.
168:,
153:.
137:,
37:A
514:.
489:.
464:.
438:.
416:.
394:.
369:.
348:.
314:.
302::
69:(
41:(
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.