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Explanation
This comic features a conversation about the word "abracadabra" and its etymology. One character explains that "abracadabra" has roots in multiple ancient languages: it comes from Latin meaning "to vanish," from Greek meaning "holy name," and from Old English meaning something else entirely. The other character responds that this is "AAAAMAZING" (or similar enthusiastic outburst).
The punchline character then deflates the excitement by pointing out that knowing a mean quantity of etymology makes you an "orthodoxographer" (or some similarly obscure academic term), implying that this level of pedantic knowledge is not actually impressive but is instead a sign of annoying over-education.
The humor mechanism is the contrast between genuine intellectual enthusiasm and pedantic deflation. One character finds word origins fascinating and exciting, while the other weaponizes even more obscure knowledge to undercut that excitement. It's a joke about how in academic or nerdy circles, there's always someone who knows more and can make you feel inadequate about the very knowledge you thought was impressive.
This fits SMBC's recurring theme of satirizing intellectual culture and the social dynamics of people who pride themselves on knowing obscure facts. The comic suggests that the rabbit hole of etymological knowledge leads not to enlightenment but to ever more obscure and socially useless pedantry.