Posted by Eugene Volokh: The Etymological Fallacy and the Etymology of "Etymology": http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_03_22-2009_03_28.shtml#1238019130
I've often warned people against the [1]etymological fallacy -- the erroneous assertion "that what a word �really means� [or should mean -EV] is whatever it once meant long ago, perhaps even in another language." But I hadn't realized, until a few days ago, that the word "etymology" itself comes from a [2]Greek root meaning "true," and hence signifies "studying the true meanings and values of words." So the etymological fallacy is what happens when one fallaciously equates the etymology of a word with what the etymology of "etymology" would suggest -- the true meaning of a word. References 1. http://www.bartleby.com/68/98/2298.html 2. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/etymology
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