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 Latin circumvenire, "to come around" — circum ("around") plus venire ("to come").

From reptile plus the adjective ending -ian.

Formed from un- + controllable — it simply denies that something can be brought under control.

From over- + due.

From Middle English hey stak, simply "hay" plus "stack."

From Middle English heedstrong, a compound of head and strong describing someone whose "head" is strong-willed.

From Middle English dysche wescheare, built from dish plus washer.

Origin unclear; it appears to come from the personal name Roscoe and was popular in early 20th-century American slang, especially in crime fiction.

American slang, said to come from the Irish name Seamus, reflecting how many early American police officers were Irish immigrants.

A shortening of "vigorish," itself borrowed via Yiddish from a Russian word meaning "winnings."

From gum (rubber) + shoe — rubber-soled shoes were associated with detectives who could move about unheard.

From grift plus the agent suffix "-er," originally circus and carnival slang for a con man before spreading into everyday use; first recorded around 1906.

Emerged around 1906 in American criminal slang as a twist on graft ("illicit profit"), itself traced back to a Middle Dutch word for digging a ditch — the idea being that a grifter "digs" money out of people.

From flop + house, originally hobo slang for a cheap place to sleep.

From Middle English bing, ultimately from Old Norse bingr meaning a heap or pile of grain — the Microsoft search engine name is unrelated and simply chosen for being short and memorable.

A shortened, informal form connected to bimbo, though now used mainly as slang for a Barbadian.

Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto, a diminutive of ballo ("dance"), from Late Latin ballare ("to dance").

From "pathology" plus the adjective suffix "-ical."

Built from hyp- ("under") + ox- (referring to oxygen) + -ia.

From utopia + -an.

Built from fool + proof, meaning "proof against fools," i.e. safe even from careless use.

From "flaw" + "-ed."

Old English · 1510

From Old English roots meaning "unsteady" or "to shake"; the jousting sense arose around 1510 from the barrier separating combatants, and the gaming-frustration sense is said to come from pinball, where "tilting" the machine could end your turn.

From French admissible, built on "admit" plus the suffix "-ible" ("able to be").