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 Italian bandito ("outlawed, banished"), ultimately from the same root as ban — someone officially cast out was branded an outlaw and, in practice, often turned to robbery.

From line (the defensive line) plus backer — a player who backs up the line.

From Middle English ragged, related to Old Norse words for "tufted" or "shaggy" — the same family as "rag."

The surname traces to a Norman place name, Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. As slang for "weak man," it likely comes simply from the two words sharing the same first letter.

From Latin horrificus, from horreo ("to be afraid") + -ficus ("making").

A nickname for "Mary," formed by rhyming with the earlier nickname "Molly."

Italian · 1500

Origin uncertain; first recorded in the 1500s, possibly linked to Italian words for "spool" or "spur", or to English "spoke" and "spike".

From "fair" plus "way."

From Late Latin circulatus, past participle of circulare ("to make circular, encircle"), from circulus ("a circle").

Formed from "circuit" plus the suffix "-ry", meaning a system or collection of circuits.

From incident + -al.

From tit plus the diminutive suffix -y.

Borrowed directly from Sanskrit gaṇeśa.

A compound of "grand" and "stand," originally describing the main seating stand at a racecourse.

From Hebrew Yirmeyahu, meaning "Yahweh will exalt."

From "dot" plus the past-participle ending "-ed."

Traced back to an earlier word meaning "woolly down or nap," of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly related to a West Flemish dialect word.

From formula + the verb-forming suffix -ate, ultimately from Latin forma, "shape."

The fish is named for its cat-like facial whiskers (barbels). The online-deception sense took off after the 2010 documentary Catfish popularized the term.

From the surname of Juliet's family in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, itself adapted from the Italian Capuleti.

From tire plus -some.

Coined around 1945 by advertising executive Alex Osborn, describing a group "storming" a problem with ideas.

From "ingrain" + "-ed" — originally about dyeing fabric so deeply the color became part of the fiber.

From Middle English rubbinge, rubbynge, equivalent to rub + -ing.