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 flash + -ing; the roofing sense comes from the shiny, light-reflecting metal traditionally used.

Built from "out-" plus "field."

Built from "spook" (ghost) plus the adjective ending "-y."

Formed from some + how.

From Latin prōcessiō, "a marching forward," later used for a religious procession, from prōcēdere, "to advance."

From Old English eornostlīċe, built from earnest plus the adverb ending -ly.

From Latin simplicitas, built from simplex ("simple"), the same root behind "simple" itself.

From Middle English savely, built from safe + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Old English heorra ("hinge"), related to Dutch harre and Icelandic hjarri.

From Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, built from re- ("back") plus fugere ("to flee") — literally "a place to flee back to."

From Spanish bodega, going back through Latin to Ancient Greek apotheke, "storehouse" — the same root as apothecary and boutique. The word became common in New York through Puerto Rican and other Latino communities.

From Latin fornicari, from fornix, "an arch or vaulted passageway" — a word also used for brothels, since prostitutes in ancient Rome often waited for clients under archways.

From the Swahili word jenga, meaning "to build" — fitting, since the game is all about building (and then un-building) a tower.

Origin uncertain; possibly related to "heave", though the sound change is hard to explain.

From Old French raençon, ultimately from Latin redemptio, "a buying back" — making ransom a distant word cousin of redemption.

A German surname, notably that of Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).

A compound of "day" and "light," dating back to Middle English, with close cognates in Dutch, German, and Frisian.

From Latin commoditas, "convenience, fitness," from commodus ("suitable"), the same root as commode and accommodate.

From en- ("to make into") + grave ("to carve"), ultimately from the same root as "grave" in the sense of carving.

From Hebrew חומר / חֹמֶר (khómer, “clay, heap, large unit of volume”).

From English appraise + the noun-forming suffix -al.

A straightforward compound of "market" and "place."

From Old English sceard, "a broken piece," related to an old root meaning "to cut."

First recorded in the late 1500s meaning "to spend recklessly"; origin uncertain, possibly a blend of "scatter" and "wander."