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 Old English mycg, a very old Germanic word for the small biting insect, closely related to words like Dutch mug and German Mücke.

From snoop + -y.

From French Denise, from Latin Dionȳsia (feminine form of Dionȳsius, a male name of Ancient Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”). Dionysus is the mythological Greek god of wine responsible for growth of the vines and the originator of winemaking. Doublet of Dionysia.

From Greek an- ("without") + aisthesis ("sensation") — literally "no feeling."

From Old French alabastre, ultimately from Ancient Greek alabastros, a word for a handleless vase used to store perfume — possibly traced back to an Egyptian phrase referring to a vessel of the goddess Bast.

From length + -en.

From Late Latin rationale, related to "rational" and ultimately to Latin ratio, "reason."

Formed from tri- ("three") plus the ending from (per)fecta, a betting term.

A learned borrowing from Latin praecludere, \"to shut off, close in advance,\" from prae- (\"before\") plus claudere (\"to close\").

From Old French pance, going back to Latin pantex ("belly") — the same root that gives us "pancreas."

From Ancient Greek Ἰεσσαί (Iessaí), from Hebrew יִשַׁי (Yishai).

From Middle English dawnynge, an alteration of dawing, under the influence of North Germanic cognates (compare Swedish, Danish dagning). See daw (“to dawn”).

From bull + frog, describing the animal's deep, bull-like call.

The sexual practice is so called after the custom in swing dancing of changing partners after each dance, unlike traditional ballroom dance styles where one has a single partner.

From Japanese 鯉 (koi), meaning carp.

From Middle English "prechynge," the -ing form of "preach."

Formed from "sweep" plus the "-ing" ending.

From "stretch" plus the "-ing" suffix.

From bewilder ("to confuse or disorient someone") plus the suffix -ing.

Recorded from 1845 as a diminutive of "pants," originally meaning boys' drawers before shifting to women's underwear by the early 1900s.

From Latin prōstrātus, the past participle of prōsternō, "to throw down in front."

From the surname Poindexter, popularized as slang after a bookish, socially awkward character of that name appeared in the 1959 Felix the Cat cartoon.

Formed from "ankle" plus the diminutive suffix "-et," on the model of "bracelet."

The past participle form of "crop," used as an adjective.