Etymology Paper

Etymology: The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible. (www.dictionary.com) Pick a word and research its etymology. Use the Oxford English Dictionary or other comparable source which contains thorough etymologies of words. It should be a word that means something to you or has some connection to you. It can be serious, satirical, sentimental or funny. Your etymology research should include: a. the language(s) from which the word evolved. b. the meanings and language origins of any root words or related versions of the word (including any changes in meaning over the years) c. how long the word has been in usage, when it was first used d. your connection to the word or your associations with the word Requirements and Formatting: 1. Length: 350-700 words 2. Typed or handwritten on the front sides of the paper only. 3. Title of the paper may simply be just the word itself or you may come up with a more clever title. (Do not title the paper etymology paper.) 4. When referring to words themselves, write them in italics or quotation marks. 5. Word count listed at the end of the paper. 6. You are allowed to use first person. 7. Use second person only if appropriate. (If you are speaking to me about me.) Rarely is second person appropriate. 8. Only final draft needs to be turned in. (Final draft means your paper should be as error free as possible.)

Due Date: __________________________________

assignment created by Amy Citzler 2005

How to Read the Etymology found in a Dictionary Entry

The etymology of a word will be found at the beginning or end of a words entry, and it will usually be sectioned off from the rest of the entry. In this example, the etymology is surrounded by brackets at the beginning of the entry.

The etymology of the word will sometimes contain a chronological list of quotations documenting the uses of the word throughout history. Each sense of the word will be represented with the earliest printed example of that sense. This is helpful for seeing the evolution of a word throughout history.

An explanation of how each individual dictionary is usually located in the front of the dictionary or rarely in the back. One useful explanation is a list of the abbreviations used in the entries of words. This list is especially helpful in decoding the etymologies of words.

assignment created by Amy Citzler 2005

Etymology Paper Grading Rubric

For an A: Research: Etymology of the word and related words or root words is thoroughly researched and detailed. Reflective: Importance of the word to the writer is clearly explained. Response is thoughtful and insightful. Organization: Paper is well organized. Ideas flow clearly from one to the next. Sentence Fluency: The rhythm and flow of the sentences make the paper enjoyable to read. Sentence structures are varied appropriately. Conventions of language: Paper is practically error free. Format: Follows all Requirements and Formatting listed on the assignment page.

For a B: Research: Etymology of the word and related words or root words is researched and detailed, but may be less thorough than the top papers. Reflective: Importance of the word to the writer is explained. Response is thoughtful and insightful. Organization: Paper is organized. Ideas flow from one to the next. Sentence Fluency: The rhythm and flow of the sentences make the paper pleasant to read. Sentence structures are sometimes varied appropriately. Conventions of language: Paper may contain a few errors, but these errors do not create any major distractions. Format: Follows most if not all Requirements and Formatting listed on the assignment page. For a C: Research: Etymology of the word and some related words or root words is researched, but not very thoroughly. Reflective: Importance of the word to the writer is explained, but response may not be very thorough or clear. Organization: Paper is somewhat organized. Ideas may not flow as clearly from one to the next. Sentence Fluency: The rhythm and flow of the sentences need to be improved. The paper feels a bit choppy and is not as pleasant to read. Sentence structures contain little variety. Conventions of language: Paper may contain a several errors, some which create major distractions. Format: Follows some of the Requirements and Formatting listed on the assignment page.

assignment created by Amy Citzler 2005

Indelible SAMPLE PAPER (score of an A) The word indelible first caught my attention with the news in Iraq. I couldnt handle all of the reports of the casualties on both sides, but I couldnt get enough of the news on the elections. I was fascinated with the challenges and difficulties of setting up elections in a country that had very little to no experience or infrastructure to support a democratic vote. The United States has been doing this election thing for a long time and look at the problems we have. How was Iraq going to pull this off? Each subsequent day was filled with reports of just how complicated these elections would be. Some areas of Iraq might not get to vote because they were not secure, too violent to set up a voting station. And how would those in charge educate the population on the individuals running for office? How would voters be identified without drivers licenses or voter registration cards? How would election officials prevent ballot boxes from getting stuffed by individuals who voted multiple times? In the midst of all these rather serious concerns, I was still filled with hope. Here was a people woefully oppressed who would be getting a change to experience democracy and to be heard. Here was a people who had suffered great tyranny and now might have the chance to begin righting some of those wrongs. The solution to many of these issues and the symbol of triumph became the mark of purple indelible ink on a finger of those who had voted. I couldnt help but marvel at the cleverness of using permanent ink. I heard stories of the individuals who traveled hours and miles to vote. I heard stories of female voters brave enough to wait in line to vote when they had been threatened with rape or murder if they took part in the process. Yet they still voted, and became marked individuals in more ways than one. Some election years, I wondered whether my vote meant anything at all, if I should bother to go stand in line for 30-45 minutes to cast votes for candidates about whom I

assignment created by Amy Citzler 2005

knew very little. Didnt I always have better things to do? But now I have that image of purple indelible ink, of being marked for doing what you believe in and what you think is right even if it marks you for death, even if youre not sure how much good it will actually do. I had never heard the word indelible before. Why didnt they say permanent? I guess indelible is a little easier to say, and it sounds rather important too. Indelible comes from the Middle Latin word indelebilis. The prefix in negates the root word of delebilis which means may be blotted out. The modern English equivalent of this Latin word is delible which means capable of being deleted or effaced. Delible shares the same roots and origins as delete, a much more common word defined as to destroy, annihilate, abolish, eradicate, do away with. And the word delete is rather old as its first documented usage dates back to 1495. So in short, indelible means unable to be blotted out, deleted, effaced, destroyed, annihilated, abolished, eradicated or done away with. Thats something that is pretty strong and resilient. I wish many more things in this world were indelible, like dreams and hopes and the respect and responsibility that come with freedom. In a way, I wish my finger was marked with indelible ink every time I voted just as a reminder of what things should matter most, what things should be permanent.

Word Count: 602

assignment created by Amy Citzler 2005