"D" Word Origins

dingo

Origin

Borrowed from Dharug "dingu", meaning a tame or domesticated dingo.

dingus

Latin

Likely borrowed from Dutch dinges ("thingamajig") or a related Afrikaans word, with the ending reshaped to look like a Latin -us word.

dingy

Old English

From a dialectal English word meaning "dirty", likely related to Old English "dung".

dink

Origin · 1930

An imitative word from 1930s American English, echoing the light "dink" sound of a soft tap.

dinky

Origin · 1700

From 18th-century Scots "dink" meaning neat or trim, which drifted in meaning from "dainty" to "small" before gaining the "-y" ending.

dinner

Vulgar Latin

From Old French disner, which originally meant "breakfast" before shifting to refer to the main meal of the day, ultimately from Vulgar Latin roots meaning "to break one's fast."

dinnertime

Origin

Formed from "dinner" plus "time."

dino

Origin

A shortened, casual form of "dinosaur."

dinosaur

Greek · 1841

Coined in 1841-42 by the paleontologist Richard Owen from Greek roots meaning "terrible" and "lizard."

dint

Old English

From Old English dynt, meaning a blow or strike, related to the same Germanic root as "dent."

diocesan

Origin

From Middle French diocesain.

diocese

Late Latin

From Late Latin dioecesis, ultimately from Greek dioikēsis meaning "administration" — originally a Roman administrative district before the Church adopted it.

Dion

Ancient Greek

From the Ancient Greek name Diōn, also used historically as a short form of Dionysius.

dione

Origin

From Latin Diōnē (“of Jupiter”), from Ancient Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē, “of Zeus”).

Dionne

Latin

As a surname, from French; as a given name, from Latin Dione, itself from Greek.

dionysiac

Origin

Borrowed from Latin Dionȳsiacus, from Ancient Greek Διονυσιακός (Dionusiakós), from Δῐόνῡσος (Dĭónūsos, “Dionysus”) + -ακός (-akós).

dionysius

Origin

From Latin Dionysius, from Ancient Greek Διονύσιος (Dionúsios).

Dionysus

Latin

Borrowed via Latin Dionysus from the Greek Dionȳsos.

Dior

French

A French surname, that of the founder Christian Dior.

diorama

French

Borrowed from French diorama.

dioxide

Origin

Formed from the prefix "di-" (two) plus "oxide," reflecting the two oxygen atoms in the compound.

dip

Old English

From Old English dyppan, related to the word "deep."

dipa

Origin

From Hindi दीपा (dīpā), from Sanskrit दीपा (dīpā).

diphtheria

French · 1855

From French diphtérie, coined in 1855 from Greek diphthéra ("leather" or "membrane"), referring to the tough membrane the disease forms in the throat.

diplex

Origin

From di- + -plex.

diploma

Latin

From Latin diplōma, from Greek díplōma meaning "folded paper" or "official document," itself from a word meaning "to fold."

diplomacy

Latin

From French diplomatie, ultimately from Latin diploma, originally meaning an official letter or license.

diplomat

French

From French diplomate, ultimately from Greek díplōma, "official document."

diplomatic

French

From French diplomatique, ultimately from the same root as "diplomat."

diplomatist

Origin

Borrowed from French diplomatiste, or from diplomat(ic) + -ist.

dipped

Origin

From dip + -ed.

dipper

Middle English

From Middle English dippere; equivalent to dip + -er.

dipshit

Origin · 1960

A blend of "dip" (a foolish person) and "shit," first recorded around the 1960s.

dipsomania

Origin

From dipso- (“thirst; drinking”) + -mania.

dipsomaniac

Origin

From dipso- + -maniac.

dipstick

Origin

From dip + stick.

dire

Latin

Borrowed from Latin dīrus, meaning "fearful" or "ominous."

direct

Latin

Borrowed from Latin dīrēctus, the past participle of dīrigō, "to make straight" — from dis- ("apart") plus regō ("to rule" or "make straight").

direction

Latin

From Old French direccion, ultimately from Latin dīrēctiō.

directional

Origin

From "direction" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-al."

directive

Middle French

From Middle French directif; the noun use comes from the French feminine form directive.

directly

Origin

From "direct" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

director

Late Latin

Borrowed from Middle French directeur, from Late Latin dīrēctōrem.

directorate

Origin

From "director" plus the suffix "-ate."

directory

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium, related to "direct."

dirge

Origin

From Middle English dirige, from Latin dirige (“steer, direct”), from the beginning of the first antiphon in matins for the dead, Dirige, Domine, deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam. Doublet of dirige.

dirigible

Origin

From French dirigeable, from ballon dirigeable (“steerable balloon”).

dirigisme

Origin

Borrowed from French dirigisme, from diriger (“to run, to direct”), from Latin dirigere (“direct, steer”).