Related terms Etymon (ancestor word) and descendant words An etymon, or ancestor word, is the ultimate source word from which one or more cognates derive. In other words, it is the source of related words in different languages. For example, the etymon of both Welsh ceffyl and Irish capall is the Proto-Celtic *kaballos (all meaning horse).
Related terms Etymon (ancestor word) and descendant words An etymon, or ancestor word, is the ultimate source word from which one or more cognates derive In other words, it is the source of related words in different languages. For example, the etymon of both Welsh ceffyl and Irish capall is the Proto-Celtic *kaballos (all meaning horse).