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 English bloren, a variant of bleren/blaren, related to Old English words meaning "to bellow" — the same root that gives us "blare."

From Middle French envois, the plural of envoi, "something sent" (from envoyer, "to send") — the same root as "envoy."

From "lone" plus "-some," dating to the mid-17th century.

From Latin praescriptio, "something written beforehand," from prae- ("before") and scribere ("to write").

From sorrow + -ful, built the same way as "hopeful" or "joyful."

Built from egotist (from ego + -ist) plus the adjective suffix -ical.

From Russian dacha, originally meaning a gift or plot of land granted by a prince — from the verb "to give."

Named after an earlier slang term for a crude trombone-like instrument, itself from a Dutch word for "trumpet"; the finance sense appeared during the European debt crisis around 2010.

From Old French demolition, from Latin dēmōlītiō, "a tearing down" — the noun form of demolish.

From "wild" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness."

From Middle English bigrucchen, meaning "to grumble at" — built from be- plus an old word related to "grudge."

From legitimate plus the noun-forming suffix -cy.

Formed from the phrasal verb sell out.

Borrowed from French confinement, built from confine + -ment.

From detain + -ee, the suffix used for the person something is done to.

From an old East Anglian dialect word "dallop," meaning a patch or tuft, of unclear deeper origin.

Formed from revolution plus the verb-forming suffix -ize.

A shortened form of raccoon; the racist sense developed later as a derogatory extension.

From journal + -istic (“adjective”). Also parsed directly as journalist + -ic (“adjective”), also used in sense of related journalism (having to do with journalism).

From cinema + the adjective suffix -tic.

From Spanish Isabel, ultimately from Hebrew Elisheva ("my God is an oath"), the same root as Elizabeth.

Borrowed from French Isabelle.

The Latinate and Italian form of Isabel.

From misogynist + -ic.