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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From dazzle plus the ending -ing, describing something that dazzles.

From threaten plus -ing.

From Ancient Greek Ξέρξης (Xérxēs), from Old Persian 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (x-š-y-a-r-š-a /⁠Xšayāršā⁠/, “ruler among kings”). Doublet of Ahasuerus.

From Latin inquisitor, from inquirere, "to inquire into."

From land + lady, the female counterpart of landlord.

From clothe plus the past-tense suffix -ed.

From breath + the adjective suffix -ed.

From baby + sitter.

From Middle English liklihode, built from likely plus -hood.

Borrowed in the 1670s from Latin American Spanish barracuda, possibly from a Caribbean indigenous language.

From Old French turbot, itself likely from Old Swedish tornbut, combining "thorn" and "flatfish" — a reference to the fish's spiny bumps.

Borrowed from German Zander, itself traced back through Middle Low German to a Slavic source; it's a doublet of the French-derived word "sandre."

From Middle English haddok; ultimate origin uncertain, though possibly linked to Old French terms for preparing fish.

Named after American skateboarder Alan Gelfand, whose nickname "Ollie" became attached to the move he popularised in the late 1970s.

From Latin potens ('powerful'), the present participle of posse ('to be able').

From Middle English gulpen, probably of imitative origin, related to Dutch and German words for gushing or gulping.

From Old English oferflōwan, from over- + flow.

From "direction" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-al."

From organization + -al.

From Old French prudence, from Latin prudentia, a contraction of providentia, "foresight" — from providere, "to foresee, provide for."

From Latin infundere, "to pour into."

From Middle English mylky, melky, equivalent to milk + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian moalkig (“milky”), West Frisian molkich (“milky”), Dutch melkig (“milky”), German Low German melkig (“milky”), German milchig (“milky”), Danish mælkig (“milky”), Swedish mjölkig (“milky”), Icelandic mjólkugur (“milky”). Doublet of milchig.

Formed from froth plus the adjective ending -y.

An altered form of dialect English spattle, from Old English spātl, related to the verb spit.