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What is "false etymology"?

False etymology refers to a misconception about the origin or history of a word, often resulting from a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of its actual roots. This can occur when a word is mistakenly thought to be derived from another word or language due to similarities in sound or spelling, even though there is no real linguistic connection. For example, the word "cliché" is sometimes incorrectly believed to come from the English word "click," but it actually originates from the French word for a printing plate. False etymology can lead to the creation of folk etymologies, where popular beliefs about a word's origin become widely accepted, despite lacking historical accuracy.