ETIMOLOGY

WHAT IS ETIMOLOGY?

It studies the roots of words and how spelling, mening and sounds have changed over time.
The word Etimology was derived from etumos, it means true. It studies the words' origin.

some examples:

• Assassin: n. Murderer, generally somewhat professional; esp. one who murders a prominent figure.

During the time of the Crusades the members Muslim  engaged people to terrorise their Christian enemies by performing murders as a religious duty. These acts were carried out under the influence of hashish, and so the killers became known as hashshashin, meaning eaters or smokers of hashish.Hashshashin evolved into the word assassin.

• Hazard: n. Danger; vb. To risk or expose to danger.This term evolved from the Arabic al zahr, which means the dice. In Western Europe the term came to be associated with a number of games using dice, which were learned during the Crusades whilst in the Holy Land. The term eventually took on the connotation of danger because, from very early on, games using dice were associated with the risky business of gambling and con artists using corrupted dice.

The next link is an etimology dictionary: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=a&allowed_in_frame=0

As teachers of children it's important to recognize where words came from.If we are helping to our students to develop their language and vocabulary we should know about the words we teach them. So if we have daily contact with words' origins we are more competitive for our job.