Wordwyrt

example

/ɪɡˈzæmpəl/ig-ZAM-puhl
/ɪɡˈzæmpəl/ig-ZAM-puhl

Meaningexample

Common meaning: illustrative instance

‘out’ + ‘to take’ → example

Journey through time

  • ex — Latin ex- “out” (path traced)
  • ample — Latin emō, ēmī, ēmptum “to take; to buy” (path traced)

Parts join in Latin as exemplum.

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√AM‘take’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 15, p. 731 · scan
  2. Latinex- + emere‘out + to take; to buy’source
  3. Latinexemplum‘example’source
  4. Old Frenchexample‘example’source
  5. Englishexample‘illustrative instance’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin exemplum, which Skeat (Concise Dictionary, 1911) analyses as ex- ‘out’ + emere ‘to take; to buy’.

Roots

Related words

exemptperemptorypremiumpromptredeemredemption

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