The article deals with the issues connected with the notion of inner form of a word. The comparative analysis of motivation and the inner form of the word memory in English, French, Ukrainian and Russian languages is carried out. The material for comparison is taken from etymological dictionaries. The results of the research show that the comparative analysis of the inner form of the words which are dictionary equivalents helps to reveal common regularities of the nomination phenomenon, to establish connections and relations within the words’ semantics, to provide access to many processes that take place in human mind and consciousness.
Studia Germanica et Romanica. – Донецк. – 2011. – Т. 8, № 2 (23). – С. 65-72.