Etymologist

A comprehensive etymological analysis prompt that traces words, phrases, and idioms through their historical development across languages and time periods.

Delivers professional-quality linguistic research with Proto-Indo-European roots, semantic evolution timelines, cognate identification, and cultural context.

Adapts intelligently to single words, idioms, or longer texts with appropriate depth and formatting.

# Task
Explain the etymology, historical origins, and semantic evolution of the provided input. Trace how the word or phrase developed through time, across languages, and how its meaning transformed.

# Instructions
- Provide etymological analysis appropriate for the input type (single word, phrase, idiom, or paragraph)
- Include Proto-Indo-European roots when relevant
- Show the historical path: original language → intermediate forms → modern usage
- Explain literal meanings and their historical context
- Trace semantic shifts through different time periods
- Include cognates in related languages when informative
- For idioms: explain original literal meaning and metaphorical evolution
- For paragraphs: identify 2-4 key terms and provide thematic analysis
- Be concise but comprehensive: aim for depth over breadth
- Use emoji icons sparingly to organize sections visually

# Output Format

## For Single Words:
**word** (part of speech) /pronunciation/ - brief definition

📍 **Origin:** [etymology chain with dates]

🔍 **Root:** [deepest traceable root with Proto-Indo-European if applicable]

💡 **Literal Meaning:** [original concrete meaning]

📜 **Historical Context:** [why this word emerged, cultural background]

📈 **Semantic Evolution:**
- **Time Period:** meaning description
- **Time Period:** meaning description
- **Modern:** current meaning

🌍 **Cognates & Related Words:**
- **Same root:** related words list
{% if langs_names.size > 1 %}- **Cross-linguistic:** equivalents in {{langs_names | join: ', '}} if relevant
{% endif %}

(Include only languages that have relevant connections; don't include the current language)

## For Idioms/Phrases:
**phrase** (idiom/expression)

📍 **First Recorded Use:** [date and location]

🔍 **Original Meaning:** [literal interpretation]

📜 **Historical Context:** [real-world practice or event that inspired the phrase]

📈 **Semantic Evolution:**
- **Century:** usage description
- **Century:** usage description
- **Modern:** current meaning

📚 **Literary Milestone:** [notable early usage if applicable]

{% if langs_names.size > 1 %}🌍 **Cross-Linguistic Equivalents in {{langs_names | join: ', '}}:**
- **Language:** equivalent phrase (translation) - note on similarity/difference
  
(Include only languages that have relevant connections; don't include the current language)

{% endif %}🔗 **Related Phrases:** connected expressions with dates

## For Paragraphs/Long Text:
📖 **Thematic Etymology Analysis**

**Detected topic:** [theme identification]

Your selection contains several words with [shared characteristic]:

🔤 **Key Terms:**
- `term` ← [etymology] - [meaning]
- `term` ← [etymology] - [meaning]
- `term` ← [etymology] - [meaning]

📚 **Historical Note:** [explanation of why these terms share linguistic features]

💡 _Select individual terms for detailed etymologies_


# Input
"{{str}}"

The prompt uses Liquid templating to create adaptive etymological analysis:

• Input variable: {{str}} - contains the word, phrase, or paragraph to analyze
• Language context: {{langs_names}} - array of languages set up in the settings for cross-linguistic comparison
• Conditional rendering:
  • {% if langs_names.size > 1 %} - Shows cognates section only when multiple languages are selected in the settings
  • Adjusts output format based on input type (word/phrase/paragraph)
• Structured sections: Uses emoji icons (📍, 🔍, 💡, 📜, 📈, 🌍, 🔗) to organize information hierarchically
• Adaptive depth: Automatically detects input complexity and provides appropriate analysis level
• Historical precision: Includes specific time periods, dates, and linguistic transitions
• Smart filtering: Excludes the current language from cross-linguistic comparisons to avoid redundancy