"E" Word Origins

Edelstein

German

Borrowed from German Edelstein ("gemstone", literally "noble stone").

edelweiss

German

From German Edelweiß, literally "noble white" — from edel ("noble") and weiß ("white").

edema

New Latin

From Greek oidēma ("swelling"), via New Latin oedema — related to oidein, "to swell."

Eden

Hebrew

From Biblical Hebrew עֵדֶן (ʿḗḏen), perhaps from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin, “steppe, garden”).

Edgar

Old English

From Old English Ēadgār, combining ēad ("riches") and gār ("spear"); the literary award is named for Edgar Allan Poe.

edge

Latin

From Old English ecg ("sharp point or blade"), related to a very old Indo-European root for "sharp" — the same one behind the Latin word acus, "needle."

edged

Middle English

From Middle English egged, from Old English ecged; equivalent to edge + -ed.

Edgehill

Origin

From edge + hill.

edgelord

Origin

From edge (“the limit of acceptable behavior”) + -lord

edgesphere

Origin

Blend of edge + sphere, after blogosphere or videosphere.

edgeways

Origin

From edge + -ways.

edgy

Origin

From edge + -y, originally describing something sharply defined before it came to mean "tense" or "provocative."

edible

Late Latin

From Late Latin edibilis, from Latin edere ("to eat") — a doublet of "eatable."

edict

Latin

From Latin edictum, "a thing proclaimed," from edicere ("to declare publicly") — via Old French edit.

edification

Origin

From Old French, from Latin aedificationem (“building, construction”), an accusative form of aedificatio, from aedificare.

edifice

Latin

From Old French edifice, from Latin aedificium ("building"), from aedificare ("to build") — the same root gives us "edify."

edificial

Origin

Latin aedificialis.

edify

Origin

From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”).

edifyingness

Origin

From edifying + -ness.

edington

Origin

From Old English Eþandūn.

Edison

Middle English

From the Middle English patronymic "Edi's son," ultimately from the given name Adam or Eden.

edit

French

A back-formation from "editor," reinforced by the French verb éditer.

Edith

Old English

From Old English "Eadgyth," combining "ead" (wealth, fortune) and "gyth" (war, strife).

edition

Latin

From Latin editio, from edere ("to give out, publish").

editor

Latin

From Latin editor, from editus, past participle of edere ("to give out, publish").

editorial

Origin

From "editor" + the suffix -ial.

EDM

English

An initialism: in the music sense, of electronic dance music; in the engineering sense, of electrical discharge machining.

Edmonton

Middle English

From Middle English Adelmetone, from Old English Ēadhelm + tūn (“town”). The Canadian city was named after the area of London.

Edmund

Old English

From Old English "ead" (wealth, fortune) and "mund" (protector).

Edmunds

Origin

From the given name Edmund.

Edna

Hebrew

From the Hebrew "ednah," meaning delight or rejuvenation, related to the word "Eden."

Edo

Japanese

From Japanese 江戸 (えど, Edo, literally “cove entrance”).

edom

Origin

From Late Latin Edōm from Koine Greek Ἐδώμ (Edṓm) from Biblical Hebrew אֱדוֹם (ʾĔḏōm). The medieval Jewish use of Edom to refer to Christians referred to their view of Christianity as a heresy that originated from Judaism, comparing Christians to Esau as a relative who was hostile to Jacob (who represented the Jewish people). It originated from Jewish writings that compared the Roman authorities to Edom for their persecution of Jewish people, which was later applied to Christianity when the latter became the state religion of the Roman Empire.

EDP

French

In the perfume sense, an initialism of French 'eau de parfum', literally 'perfume water'.

Eduard

French

From French Édouard, doublet of Edward.

Eduardo

Portuguese

From Portuguese or Spanish Eduardo.

educate

Latin

From Latin educare ("to bring up, train, rear"), related to educere ("to lead out").

educated

Origin

From educate + -ed.

educatee

Origin

From educate + -ee.

education

Latin

From Latin educatio ("a rearing, bringing up"), from educare ("to educate").

educator

Latin

From Latin educator, from educare ("to educate").

educe

Origin

Borrowed from Latin ēdūcere (“lead out, raise up”); from ex- (“out, up”) + dūcō (“lead, pull”).

edulcorate

Origin

From Medieval Latin ēdulcōrō. Compare French édulcorer.

Edward

Old English

From Old English Ēadweard, combining ēad ("wealth, riches") and weard ("guard, protector") — literally "rich guardian."

Edwardian

Origin

Formed from the name Edward plus the adjective-forming suffix -ian, referring to King Edward VII's reign.

Edwards

Origin

Formed from the given name Edward plus the possessive "-s," the standard English pattern for turning a father's name into a family surname.

Edwin

Old English

From Old English Eadwine, combining ead ("wealth, fortune") and wine ("friend").

Edwina

Origin

Formed by adding the feminine ending "-a" to the male name Edwin.