"T" Word Origins

From Japanese teriyaki, combining teri ("shine, gloss" — from the glaze) and yaki ("to grill or broil").

From Old French terme, from Latin terminus, "a boundary or limit."

PIE word *tréyes The noun is derived from Termagant (“fictitious deity with a violent temperament represented as being worshipped by Muslims or other non-Christians”), from Middle English Termagaunt (“fictitious deity represented as being worshipped by Muslims; any pagan god”), from Anglo-Norman Tervagant, Tervagaunt, Tervagan, and Old French Tervagant, Tervagan (possibly with the addition of Anglo-Norman -aunt, Old French -ant (suffix forming present participles of verbs, some of which were used as nouns); modern French Tervagant (historical)); further etymology uncertain, one common suggestion being that it is from Latin ter (“three times, thrice”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”)) + vagāns (“rambling, wandering”) (the present active participle of vagor (“to ramble, roam, wander”), from vagus (“rambling, roaming, wandering”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hwogos) + -or (inflected form of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Medieval French chansons de geste named Termagant as one of three deities supposedly worshipped by Muslims, the others being Apollin and Mahound, and the name may allude to the wandering of the moon (the c

From Latin terminalis, "pertaining to a boundary or end," from terminus, "a limit."

From terminal + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Latin terminatus, past participle of terminare, "to set bounds to, end," from terminus, "a limit."

From terminate + -ed.

From Latin terminationem, "a bounding, determining," from terminare, "to set limits to."

From terminate + -or; the "killer android" sense is a direct reference to the 1984 film The Terminator.

From French terminologie, ultimately from Latin terminus ("a term") plus the Greek-derived suffix -ology ("study of").

A learned borrowing from Latin terminus, "boundary, limit"; Terminus was also the Roman god of boundary markers.

Formed as a singular from the plural termites, from Latin termes ("woodworm"), the word Linnaeus used for the insect.

From term + -less.

Via an East Anglian dialect, from some Scandinavian (North Germanic) language, related to Danish terne, Norwegian terne, and Swedish tärna, all from Old Norse þerna (“tern; maidservant”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *þewernā (“handmaid, young girl”). First attested in the 1670s.

From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).

From Latin ternio, from terni (“three each”). See tern (adjective).

Clipping of interpreter.

From German Terpen, coined by August Kekulé in 1866 in analogy to German Terpentin, from Latin terebinthina. Piecewise doublet of terpin; compare also terebinth and turpentine.

From Ancient Greek Τερψιχόρη (Terpsikhórē, from τέρψις (térpsis, “enjoyment, delight”) + χορός (khorós, “chorus”)).

From Terpsichore (“the Muse of dance in Greek mythology”).

Borrowed directly from Latin terra, "earth, land."

From French terrasse, from Old Occitan terrassa, from terra, "land."

Borrowed from Italian terra ("earth") + cotta ("baked") — literally "baked earth."

Borrowed from French terrain, from Latin terrenum, "land, ground."

From Terra ("Earth") + the adjective-forming suffix -an.

From torup (“snapping turtle native to North America, especially the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)”) or from its etymon Powhatan *tōrəp (“sea turtle”) + possibly English -ine (suffix forming derivative or diminutive nouns), perhaps influenced by Latin terra (“dry land; soil; planet Earth”). Cognate with Abenaki tolba (“turtle”), Penobscot dolba and Unami (pisëla)tulpe (“soft-shelled turtle”).

From French terrasse (“terrace”). Doublet of terrace.

From Middle English terrene, from Anglo-Norman terriene, feminine of terrien, from Latin terrēnus, from terra (“earth”).

From Latin terrestris, "of the earth," from terra, "land, earth."

From Old French terrible, from Latin terribilis, "frightful," from terrere, "to frighten."

From terrible + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Old French chien terrier, "earth dog," from terre, "earth" — a reference to the breed's habit of digging into burrows after prey.

From Latin terrificus, "causing terror," from terrere, "to frighten" — the modern positive meaning developed later, much like "sick" and "wicked" also shifted to mean "great."

From Middle French terrifier, from Latin terrificare, "to frighten."

From Late Latin territorialis, from Latin territorium, "territory."

From Latin territorium, related to terra, "land."

From Old French terreur, from Latin terror, "fright, dread," from terrere, "to frighten."

From French terroriste, built from terror plus the agent-forming suffix -ist. The word first appeared in English in the 1790s to describe those behind the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France.

Formed from terror plus the verb-forming suffix -ize, following the same pattern as words like "organize" or "modernize".

From terror + -some.

Origin uncertain, but likely from French tiré, "drawn out" — describing how the loops are pulled up from the base weave during manufacture.

From Latin tersus (“clean, cleansed, rubbed or wiped off; neat, spruce; terse”), perfect passive participle of Latin tergeō, tergō (“to clean, cleanse, rub, wipe, wipe off”).

From Latin tertiarius 'of or containing a third part', from tertius 'third'.

From Latin tertiarius, 'of the third part', from tertius 'third'; it is the third stage after primary and secondary.

Borrowed from Latin tertiāt-, the perfect passive participial stem of Latin tertiō, from tertius (“third”). By surface analysis, terti- + -ate.

From Italian terzetto, diminutive of Italian terzo (“the third”), from Latin tertius. See tierce.

Named after the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), whose pioneering work on electromagnetism and alternating current lent his name to both the physics unit and, later, the car brand.

Borrowed from German Tess, a variant of Tesch.