English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The origins of English words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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From Middle French inaccessible, from Late Latin inaccessibilis — in- plus accessible.

From Old French concession, from Latin concessiō, "a grant" — from concēdō (see concede).

Borrowed from Latin convenientia, from conveniens ("suitable, fitting"), present participle of convenire ("to come together, suit"); a doublet of convenance.

A shortening of "episode."

Film industry jargon of disputed origin, long used to mark shots recorded without sound.

A nasalized variant of uh-huh, imitating a spoken sound of agreement.

From Latin infernus, "the underworld," via Medieval Latin infernalis.

Formed by dropping "-ter" from "babysitter."

From French talisman, ultimately from Greek telesma, meaning "religious rite" or "completion" — the idea of an object charged with ritual power.

From Old French piller, "to plunder," possibly ultimately related to Latin pilus, "hair" (via a figurative sense of stripping something bare).

From Late Latin competentia, a doublet of competence.

From Old French paroissien, "member of a parish," built on paroisse ("parish").

From Ancient Greek kharisma ("grace, favour, gift") + the adjective ending -ic.

A fusion of "dare" and "say," originally meaning "to venture to say."

From "mouth" plus "piece."

From Middle English moderhode, built from "mother" plus the suffix "-hood", which denotes a state or condition.

A compound of jock (slang for "penis") and strap, from earlier forms like "jockey strap."

A variant spelling of "socks," popularized by American baseball team names like the Red Sox and White Sox.

From "good" plus the informal suffix "-y."

From eat plus the noun suffix -ery, on the same pattern as "bakery."

Surname sense probably from Low German Voss, Voß (“fox”). Doublet of Fuchs and Fohs.

Etymology tree Malagasy Antananarivobor. French Tananariveclip. French Tanabor. English Tana Borrowed from French Tana.

From peace + keeping, echoing the phrase "keep the peace".

A straightforward compound of peace + keeper.