Towards the Representation of Etymological Data on the Semantic Web

In this article, we look at the potential for a wide-coverage modelling of etymological information as linked data using the Resource Data Framework (RDF) data model. We begin with a discussion of some of the most typical features of etymological data and the challenges that these might pose to an RDF-based modelling. We then propose a new vocabulary for representing etymological data, the Ontolex-lemon Etymological Extension (lemonETY), based on the ontolex-lemon model. Each of the main elements of our new model is motivated with reference to the preceding discussion.