Word formation.
Etymology.
The study of the origin and history of a word
is known as its etymology, a term which, like
many of our technical words, comes to us
through Latin, but has its origins in Greek
(e´tymon “original form” + logia “study of”),
and is not to be confused with entomology,
also from Greek (e´ntomon “insect”). When
we look closely at the etymologies of less
technical words, we soon discover that there
are many different ways in which new words
can enter the language.
Coinage.
One of the least common processes of word
formation in English is coinage, that is, the
invention of totally new terms. The most
typical sources are invented trade names for
commercial products that become general
terms (usually without capital letters) for any
version of that product. Older examples are
aspirin, nylon, vaseline and zipper; more
recent examples are granola, kleenex, teflon
and xerox. It may be that there is an obscure
technical origin (e.g. te(tra)-fl(uor)-on) for
some of these invented terms, but after their
first coinage, they tend to become everyday
words in the language.