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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Borrowed from a Chinese term (via Hokkien) meaning roughly "man root", describing the root's human-like forked shape.

The sword sense comes from German Messer, meaning "knife." Separately, the "one who messes" sense simply adds the agent suffix "-er" to the English verb "mess."

From Anglo-Norman arson, from Latin ardere, "to burn" — the same root gives us "ardent."

From Latin amputatio, "pruning" — from the same root as "amputate".

From French sénile, from Latin senīlis, "of old age," from senex, "old man."

Learned borrowing from Akkadian 𒄑𒂆𒈦 (Gilgāmeš), borrowed from Sumerian 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌 (ᵈgilgameš₂ /⁠Gilgameš⁠/). First attested in 1894.

A clipped, informal form of "specification."

From Middle English exonerated, equivalent to exonerate + -ed.

Coined from "synchronous" plus "-icity"; the meaningful-coincidence sense was introduced by the psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s.

Formed from psychosis + -tic, attested since the late 1800s.

Coined in French as stratosphère by the meteorologist who discovered the layer, built from "strato-" (layer) and "-sphere."

From French ganga, from Catalan ganga.

From Middle English been/bene ("pleasant, generous"), possibly linked to Old Norse beinn ("straight, favourable").

From Hebrew הִין via Latin and Middle English.

Borrowed directly from French, literally "my damsel".

From Old English, built from man plus the adjective suffix -ly.

From Old Norse reynir, referring to the tree, related to a root meaning "red" (from its berries).

The origin is unclear; it seems to have started as a local dialect name for the disease in Dorset and Somerset, England, before physician Daniel Whistler popularised it as the medical term.

Named after its creator, the German-born physical trainer Joseph Pilates.

From Old English brēr/brǣr, "briar, bramble" — a word whose deeper origins are uncertain, though it may be related to an old term for heather.

A straightforward compound of body and guard.

From French brocart and Italian broccato, ultimately from a Gaulish root meaning a spike or shoot — the same root that gives us "broccoli."

From "bodies," the old plural of "body," once used for a close-fitting undergarment worn over the torso.

Originally inhability ("disqualification for office"), from in- plus ability, echoing Middle French inhabilité.