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 indispensable, from Medieval Latin indispensabilis — literally "not able to be dispensed with."

From Old English mæntel ("sleeveless cloak"), from Latin mantellum ("covering, cloak").

Originally (1530s) a term of endearment from Dutch boel ("lover, brother"); it darkened in meaning during the 1600s to describe a blustering, cruel person.

From Old English hlāfordsċiepe, formed from lord plus the suffix -ship (denoting status or condition).

From Old French relique, from Latin reliquiae, "remains," from relinquere, "to leave behind" — the same root as relinquish.

From Middle English paved, ypavyd, equivalent to pave + -ed.

From Old English prōfung, formed from the verb prove plus the -ing ending.

From Middle English trustyng, trostinge, tristynge, equivalent to trust + -ing.

The -ing form of "ascend," from Latin ascendere, "to climb up."

A compound of strong and man.

From Middle French responsif, ultimately from Latin respondere, "to respond."

From sound + -proof, on the pattern of waterproof and fireproof.

From Old English rā, rāha ("roe deer") + lēah ("woodland, clearing").

Named after Angus, a historic county in eastern Scotland where the breed originated.

From the verb "brood," in its sense of dwelling silently and unhappily on one's thoughts.

A Latinized form of Old High German brūn ("brown"); a doublet of the English surname Brown.

From Old French Hugo, of Germanic origin, from Frankish *hugi (“thought, mind, spirit”).

Old Norse · 1648

From Old Norse rumpr, "rump," related to Middle Low German words for the trunk or bulk of a body; the political sense comes from England's Rump Parliament of 1648.

From Middle English rustelen, likely echoing the sound itself — a word built to imitate the noise it describes.

A straightforward compound of eye and witness — someone who witnessed something with their own eyes.

Borrowed from Italian Paolo — a doublet of the English name "Paul."

From Latin requisitus, past participle of requiro, "to require, seek."

From Spanish Fernando, a contraction of Ferdinando, equivalent to English Ferdinand. From Proto-Germanic *fardiz (“journey”) or *friþuz (“peace”) + *nanþaz (“daring”) (from the root of *ninþaną (“to be daring”)).