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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From "hair" and "pin," describing a pin used to hold hair, first recorded in the late 1700s; the road sense followed in the early 1900s from the similar U-shape.

From Sanskrit देवी (devī), meaning "goddess" — the feminine form of deva, "god" or "shining one."

An imitative word, formed to mimic the hissing sound it describes.

From French escalade, from Italian scalata ("a climb"), from scala, "ladder" — ultimately from Latin scālae, "ladder" or "stairs." The same root gives us "scale" (to climb) and "escalator."

From Italian espresso, "pressed out," describing how the coffee is forced through the grounds under pressure — not related to the English word "express" meaning fast, despite the common myth.

Possibly from Cornish brilli ("mackerel"), from a Brythonic word meaning "spotted".

From French manipulation, ultimately from Latin manipulus, "handful," tracing back to manus, "hand."

From Old French mesurable, built from measure plus -able.

Origin unclear; possibly a blend of twirl, twist, and fiddle.

From break + through, describing progress that pushes past a barrier.

From inertia + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

From New Latin praeliminaris, from prae- ("before") plus limen ("threshold").

Built from re- ("again") plus construction, itself from Latin construere ("to build").

From Middle English swete heorte, literally "sweet heart" — a term of endearment.

From Latin circus ("ring, circle"), ultimately from Greek kirkos — the same root gives us "cirque".

From Latin ingenuitas, related to "ingenious."

From Latin efficientia, related to efficient.

From Middle French desapointer, which originally meant to remove someone from an appointed office, later broadening to "frustrate someone's expectations."

From de- + composition, mirroring French décomposition.

From Old French exceder, from Latin excedere, "to go beyond," from ex- ("out") + cedere ("to go, yield") — the same root as "cede" and "accede."

From a Middle English diminutive of Alan, Alexander, or Alice + -son.

From Late Latin immersio, meaning "a dipping in," from the verb immergere.

From Old English words meaning "quick to grasp" or "able to take hold" — from the same root as "nim" (to take).

From Latin phallus, from Greek phallos.