Etymology is an -ology (study) of etymons, The origins of a word. This comes from the Greek word etumon, which means the true meaning or true sense of a word (the change came on its way through Latin). This Greek word probably comes from (or is at least very closely related to) the word etumos, which means simply "True." At least, you know, that's the word on the street.
This Greek word etumon seems like it could be useful to those of us who often find themselves discussing semantics and language. There is often some sort of meaning to a word that goes deeper than etymology, connotation, or denotation. The etumon, as I imagine it being used, expresses the sense of a word, something kin to the Platonic Ideal of it. Someone remind me to use it.
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