"E" Word Origins

eunuch

Ancient Greek

From Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek eunoûkhos, literally \"bed-keeper\" (from eunḗ, \"bed\" + ékhō, \"to have, keep\") — originally referring to a trusted attendant of the royal bedchamber.

euphemia

Origin

Name of an early Christian martyr, from Ancient Greek Εὐφημία (Euphēmía), from εὐ- (eu-, “good”) + φήμη (phḗmē, “repute”) + -ίᾱ (-íā).

euphemism

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek euphēmismós, from eúphēmos (\"using words of good omen\"), from eu- (\"well\") + phḗmē (\"speech, voice\").

euphony

Origin

From French euphonie, from Ancient Greek εὐφωνία (euphōnía), from εὐ- (eu-, prefix meaning ‘good, well’) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound; (human) voice; discourse, speech”) (from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to say, speak”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). The English word is analysable as eu- + -phony.

euphoria

Greek

From Greek euphoria ('power of enduring easily'), from eu ('well') plus pherein ('to bear').

Euphrates

Latin

From Latin Euphrates, from Greek Euphrátēs, tracing back through Old Persian and Akkadian to a much older regional name.

Eurasian

Origin · 1800

A blend of "Euro-" and "Asian", first recorded in the mid-19th century.

eurasiatic

Origin

Attested since 1863.

eureka

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek heúrēka (\"I have found it!\"). Legend has it that the mathematician Archimedes shouted this after realising, while stepping into a bath, how to measure an object's density.

eurgh

Origin

An imitative interjection, echoing the sound someone makes when retching or gagging.

euro

Latin

The name euro was the winner of a contest open to the general public to propose names for the new European currency, and as such is technically a neologism, although it obviously alludes to the common root of geographical names for the continent Europe, derived from Latin Europa, from Ancient Greek Εὐρώπη (Eurṓpē), the name in Greek mythology of a princess, abducted by Zeus as a bull across the Bosporus. According to the official story, the term was coined by Belgian teacher and esperantist Germain Pirlot in 1995, who suggested it in a letter to Jacques Santer, then President of the European Commission.

Europa

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Eurṓpē, the mythological princess's name — a doublet of "Europe."

Europe

Latin

From Latin Eurōpa, borrowed from Greek Eurṓpē — originally the name of a princess in Greek myth carried off by Zeus.

European

French

From French européen, ultimately from the same Greek root as Europe.

Eurovision

Origin

A trademark blend of Euro- and vision, originally naming the European broadcasting network that created the contest.

Eurydice

Latin

From Latin Eurydicē, from Ancient Greek Εὐρυδίκη (Eurudíkē).

eurytopic

Origin

From eury- + -topic.

Eustace

Latin

From the Old French form of Latin Eustathius, from Ancient Greek Εὐστάθιος (Eustáthios, “ancient name, also of Christian Saint”), from Ancient Greek εὐσταθής (eustathḗs, “steadfast, stable”). Or from εὔστᾰχῠς (eústăkhŭs, “fruitful”, literally “abundant in grain”), from εὖ (eû) + στάχυς (stákhus). Doublet of Ostap.

euthanasia

Greek · 1606

From Greek eu- ("good") + thanatos ("death") — literally "a good death," first recorded in English in 1606.

euthanized

Greek

From euthanasia, from Greek eu 'good' and thanatos 'death'; the American spelling of the past tense of euthanize (British: euthanised).

Eva

Ancient Greek

The (Vulgate) Latin Eva, from Ancient Greek Εὔα (Eúa), from Biblical Hebrew חַוָּה (ḥawwā). A Latinate variant of the English Eve.

evacuate

Latin · 1526

From Latin ēvacuō, "to empty out" — first used in English around 1526.

evacuation

Late Latin

From Old French evacuation, from Late Latin ēvacuātiō — built on the same root as evacuate.

evacuee

Origin

From French évacué, évacuée, from évacuer, equivalent to evacu(ate) + -ee.

evade

Latin

From Latin ēvādō, "to go out or escape" — from ē- ("out of") + vādō ("to go, walk"), related to wade.

eval

Origin

A shortening of "evaluate", used as both a programming keyword and informal shorthand for an evaluation or assessment.

evaluate

French

A back-formation from evaluation, itself from French évaluation.

evaluated

French

From French évaluer 'to find the value of', from Old French value, ultimately from Latin valere 'to be worth'.

evaluation

French

From French évaluation, built from evaluate + -ion.

evalyn

Origin

From Eva + Lyn, or a variant of Evelyn.

Evan

Welsh

Anglicization of Welsh Ifan, ultimately from Latin Jōhannēs, variant of Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (yōḥānān, yokhanán, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of Giovanni, Ian, Ivan, Jack, Jean, Johan, Johann, Johannes, John, Sean, Shane, Shaun, and Shawn.

Evander

Latin

From Latin Euander, from Ancient Greek Εὔανδρος (Eúandros, literally “good man”).

evanescent

Origin

Borrowed from French évanescent (“evanescent”), from Latin ēvānēscēns (“disappearing, vanishing”), present participle of ēvānēscō (“to disappear, vanish; to die out, fade away; to lapse”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away, out’)) + vānēscō (“to vanish”) (from vānus (“empty, vacant, void”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to abandon, leave”)) + -ēscō (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to become’)).

evangel

Origin

From Middle English evaungel, evangile, from Old French evangile, from Late Latin evangelium, from Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “good news”), from εὐάγγελος (euángelos, “bringing good news”), from εὐ- (eu-, “well”) + ἀγγέλλειν (angéllein, “to announce”) (English angel). The word gospel is from the same Ancient Greek origin, also meaning “good news”, but translated into Latin, then calqued into Old English.

evangelical

Late Latin

From Late Latin evangelium ("gospel, good news"), itself from Greek euangelion — the same root that gives us "evangelist."

evangelina

Origin

An alteration of Evangeline.

Evangeline

Greek

From Greek eu- "good" + angelos "messenger."

evangelist

Greek

From Greek euangelistēs ('bringer of good news'), from eu ('good') plus angelos ('messenger'), via Latin evangelista.

evaporate

Latin

From Latin evaporare, "to disperse in vapor" — from ex- ("out") plus vapor ("steam, vapor").

evaporation

Latin

From evaporate + -ion, ultimately from Latin evaporare.

evaporator

Origin

From evaporate + -or.

evasion

Late Latin

From Old French évasion, from Late Latin ēvāsiō, from the same root as evade.

evasive

Latin

From French évasif, from the same Latin root as evade.

eve

Old English

From Middle English even ("evening"), from Old English ǣfen. Medieval days ran sunset to sunset, so the night before a holiday counted as part of it.

Evelyn

Middle English

From Middle English forms of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for“ (compare Latin avēre, "to wish for") or aval “strength”. By folk etymology also misunderstood as a diminutive of the feminine given name Eve, q.v. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.

Evelyne

French

From French Évelyne.

even

Old English

From Old English efn ("level, equal"), from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz — related to German eben and Dutch even.

evene

Origin

From Latin ēveniō (“happen, fall out, come out”), from ē (“out of, from”) (short form of ex) + veniō (“come”).