Wiktionary:Votes/pl-2015-12/Etymology

Etymology edit

Voting on: Editing WT:EL#Etymology.

Current text:

Etymology
Main article: Wiktionary:Etymology

The first header below the language heading is usually the level 3 “Etymology” header. The etymology is given right below the header without indentation. Etymology essentially shows where the word comes from. This may show the forms in other languages that underlie the word. For many modern words it may show who coined the word. If a word is derived from another in the same language by a regular rule, such as formation of an English adverb by adding “ly”, it is not necessary to repeat the complete details of the word’s origin on the page for the derived word.[1]

Sometimes two words with different etymologies belong in the same entry because they are spelled the same (they are homographs). In such a case there will be more than one “Etymology” header, which we number. Hence for a word like lead the basic header skeleton looks like this:

===Etymology 1===
====Pronunciation====
====Noun====
===Etymology 2===
====Pronunciation====
====Noun====
====Verb====

Note that in the case of multiple etymologies, all subordinate headers need to have their levels increased by 1 in order to comply with the fundamental concept of showing dependence through nesting.

The vote “2007-10/style for mentioned terms” is relevant to this section, without specifying text to be amended in this document, so please see it for details.
References

Proposed text:

Etymology
Main article: Wiktionary:Etymology

“Etymology” is a level 3 header, usually the first below the language header. It contains the origins of the word, from the same or other languages. It is usually the first in each language section, except it is located below the “Alternative forms” header when it exists.[1]

For many modern words, it may show who coined the word. If a word is derived from another in the same language by a regular rule, such as formation of an English adverb by adding “-ly”, it is enough to use a template linking to the original word and the suffix/prefix or other morphemes; it is not necessary to repeat the complete details of the word’s origin on the page for the derived word.

Don't use abbreviations such as esp. (especially) or cf. (compare); write in full form.

Etymology sections use a variety of templates. A simple example, with the wiki markup, followed by the result:

From {{der|en|la|absolūtus}}.

From Latin absolūtus.

Here are some examples of templates used in etymologies. To change the languages, use the appropriate language code.

  • {{etyl}} (parameter 1: origin language; parameter 2: target language)
    Both {{etyl|ang|en}} and {{etyl|ang|-}} generates the word Old English. The difference is that the former categorizes the entry
  • {{der}}, {{inh}}, {{bor}} (parameter 1: target language; parameter 2: origin language)
    These behave in a way similar to {{etyl}}. Unfortunately, the language parameters are reversed.
    {{der}} means derivation, {{inh}} means inheritance (for example, a term inherited from Middle English to English) and {{bor}} means borrowing
  • {{m}}
    {{m|pt|palavra}} mentions the Portuguese word palavra in running text. If the mentioned word is written in Latin script, it is going to be italicized.[2]
  • {{prefix}}, {{suffix}}, {{affix}}
    These templates connect words with morphemes and format them accordingly with the symbol + between them.
  • {{blend}}, {{compound}}
    These templates accept multiple words as parameters and format them accordingly with the symbol + between them.
  • {{abbreviation of}}, {{acronym of}}, {{initialism of}}, {{contraction of}}, {{short for}}
    These templates are usually used in definition lines. Sometimes, they are used in etymologies.

Sometimes two terms with different etymologies belong in the same entry because they are spelled the same. In such a case there will be more than one “Etymology” header, which are numbered. Hence, for a word like lead the basic header skeleton looks like this:

===Etymology 1===
====Pronunciation====
====Noun====
===Etymology 2===
====Pronunciation====
====Noun====
====Verb====
Rerefences

Rationale and changes:

  • Mentioning some etymology templates used.
  • Adding the rule: Don't use abbreviations, such as cf. and others.
  • Minor edits in wording and changing the order of ideas.
  • Minor edit: "words" -> "terms" in "Sometimes two words with different etymologies [...]".
  • A step in the direction of having a completely voted WT:EL.

Schedule:

  • Vote starts: 00:00, 27 February 2016 (UTC)
  • Vote ends: 23:59, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

Discussion:

Support edit

Oppose edit

Abstain edit

Decision edit

Never begun, archiving. - TheDaveRoss 18:53, 13 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]