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 dementia, from de- ("away from") plus mens ("mind") — literally "being out of one's mind".

From French castor, "beaver," ultimately from Ancient Greek kástōr — the word originally referred to a hat made of beaver fur, and later shifted to describe rolling wheels and sprinkling containers.

From Sanskrit "kamala," meaning "lotus" or a shade of orange-red.

From French hyoïde, based on Greek for "shaped like the letter upsilon (υ)" — describing the bone's U-like curve.

Spanish · 1955

From the Spanish given name Lolita, a diminutive of Lola, itself short for Dolores. The word entered wider English use through Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel "Lolita."

From Medieval Latin pēnitentiārius, "place of penitence" — the word was adopted by Quakers in colonial Pennsylvania to describe a place where offenders could reflect on their wrongdoing.

From Latin cervix ("neck") + the adjective suffix -al, via French cervical.

A compound of brain and child — an idea "born" from someone's mind.

From Latin completio, from complere, "to fill up or finish."

A doubled-up form of "k," itself a clipped version of "okay," common in texting and chat.

From Italian squadrone, related to "squad" and "square."

From Latin auditorius, "pertaining to hearing," from audire, "to hear."

From Old French comune, from Latin communis ("common"). The word community comes from the same root.

From "tact" plus "-less."

From under- ("too little") plus paid, the past tense of pay.

From Middle English pityful, formed from pity + -ful.

From "flaw" + "-less."

From Old French confession, from Latin cōnfessiō, "an admission or acknowledgment."

From "beet" plus "root."

Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediatus, from intermedius, meaning "in the middle."

From Latin pelvis ("basin"), describing the bone's bowl-like shape.

From Greek kokkyx, "cuckoo" — an ancient anatomist thought the bone's curve resembled a cuckoo's beak.

From complement plus -ary; a near-twin spelling of "complimentary," which instead relates to praise.

From Latin Aiāx, from Ancient Greek Αἴᾱς (Aíās), the name of the mythological hero. The web-development sense is a later coinage using the mythological name.