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 the medieval given name Josse, ultimately from a Breton word meaning "lord" — its link to "joy" is a popular but mistaken folk association.

From "de-" + "cipher," modeled on French déchiffrer — literally "to undo a cipher."

From Latin terminationem, "a bounding, determining," from terminare, "to set limits to."

From Latin navigator, "sailor," from navigare, "to sail."

Borrowed from Wathaurong duwan.

From Greek hepar ("liver") plus the medical suffix -itis, which denotes inflammation.

From French sulfate, coined in 1787 by chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau from Latin sulphur.

A compound of snap and shot, originally describing a quickly aimed, unplanned rifle shot.

From "flow" plus the "-ing" suffix.

From Old French consulter, ultimately from Latin consulere, "to deliberate, take counsel."

From Latin constituens, "establishing," present participle of constituere.

As a surname, from German, Yiddish, and Scandinavian words for "falcon."

From Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask, "to bathe oneself" — a doublet of bathe.

From Latin monētārius, "pertaining to money," ultimately from monēta, "mint, coinage" — the same root as "money" and "mint."

Comes from the American word feist, an old term for a small, aggressive dog, itself traced back to an Old English word meaning "fart" — plus the ending -y.

Borrowed from French antibiotique, built from anti- ("against") and -biotic ("relating to life," from Greek bios).

From Sanskrit rājñī, "queen," the same root that gives Latin regina — making rani and regina distant word cousins.

From Anglo-Norman descomforter, built from dis- plus comfort.

American English coinage from "hang" + "over," first recorded around 1900 for the effects of drinking.

From Hindi/Urdu rājā, from Sanskrit rājan ("king"), from the same ancient root as the Latin rex — making it a distant cousin of "royal" and "regal".

From pot (chamber pot) plus the diminutive suffix -y.

From Latin pituitarius, "mucous," because early anatomists wrongly believed the gland's job was to drain mucus to the nose.

From hypo- ("under") + thalamus, since it sits below the brain's thalamus.

From perk + the adjective suffix -y.