ETYMOLOGY ABBR. is a term used to describe the study of the origin and history of words. The two crossword solutions for this term are ORIG (4 letters) and DERIV (5 letters). ORIG refers to the original form of a word, while DERIV refers to a word that has been derived from another word. ETYMOLOGY ABBR. is an important part of linguistics, as it helps to trace the development of language over time.