An etymological fallacy is an
argument of equivocation, arguing that a word is defined by its
etymology
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
, and that its
customary usage is therefore incorrect.
History
Ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...
believed that there was a "true meaning" of a word, distinct from common use. There is evidence that a similar belief existed among ancient
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...
scholars. In modern days, this fallacy can be found in some arguments of
language purists.
Occurrence and examples
An etymological fallacy becomes possible when a word's meaning
shifts over time from its original meaning. Such changes can include a narrowing or widening of scope or a change of connotation (amelioration or pejoration). In some cases, modern usage can shift to the point where the new meaning has no evident connection to its
etymon.
''Antisemitism''
The term ''
antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
'' refers to anti-
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
beliefs and practices.
[. Extract from ''Islam in History: Ideas, Men and Events in the Middle East'', The Library Press, 1973.] It replaced the earlier term ''Jew-hatred''. The etymological fallacy arises when a speaker asserts its meaning is the one implied by the structure of the word—
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
against any of the
Semitic people
Semitic people or Semites is a term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group[False friend
In linguistics, a false friend is a word in a different language that looks or sounds similar to a word in a given language, but differs significantly in meaning. Examples of false friends include English ''embarrassed'' and Spanish ('pre ...]
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References
Further reading
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{{Fallacies
Etymology
Relevance fallacies
Genetic fallacies