Glotto

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The science of language, focusing on the study of speech sounds and their components
2. A branch of linguistics that analyzes the structure and use of languages
3. The field dedicated to understanding the evolution and relationships between languages and dialects

Etymology: The Greek word "glōssa" meant "tongue," and since speech comes from the tongue, it also came to mean "language." English inherited a family of words from that root. "Gloss" came through Latin "glossa," which originally referred to an obscure word that needed explaining, and "glottis," the opening of the larynx, comes from a closely related Greek form. "Glotto" is most likely a clipped form of "glottology," which combines that Greek root with "-logy," from "logos," meaning study or discourse. The shorter form keeps the same meaning: the study of languages.