Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What is etymology?"
...Etymology is a branch of linguistic studies that traces the history of a word back to its origin. Etymologists trace the development of words from their earliest recorded occurrence. They will follow a word's transmission from language to language until they find a common ancestral form in the original language. Etymology is not as popular a profession as it used to be but there is still a wide interest in the origin of words and languages. Etymology is often confused with entomology, which is the study of insects. Source: Mirriam-Webster.com