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 French diplomatique, ultimately from the same root as "diplomat."

From peck (verb) + -ish, first recorded in the late 18th century.

From un- + quote; some suggest it began as an eggcorn of "end quote."

From Old English unefen, meaning "unequal" or "irregular," from un- plus even.

From Old English, built from harm + the suffix -ful.

Borrowed from French argot boche, popularized among Allied troops during the First World War.

A contraction of "beneath," from Old English neoþan.

From Latin Monica, the name of St. Augustine's mother, likely of Berber or Phoenician origin.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Inherited from Middle English lovyng(e) (“love”), inherited from Old English lufung. By surface analysis, love + -ing.

From Old English fuglere, "bird hunter," built from fowl plus -er.

From Old English temprian, borrowed from Latin temperō, "to mix in due proportion, moderate." Related to "temperature" and "temporal."

From Old French cooing, ultimately from Latin mālum Cydōnium, the "Cydonian apple," named after the ancient city of Cydonia on Crete.

From Latin daemonicus, from Ancient Greek daimonikós, "possessed by or sent by a spirit," ultimately from daímōn.

From New Latin cellularis, from cellula, "small cell."

From Old French murmure, from Latin murmur, an imitative word for a low humming or rumbling sound.

From Old French surgir ("to rise, arrive by sea"), ultimately from Latin surgere ("to rise up") — related to "resurgent" and "insurgent".

Simply re- ("again") plus election.

From Latin rotatus, past participle of rotare, "to revolve," from rota, "wheel."

From Latin testiculus, "testicle", with the adjective ending "-ar" added.

From thunder + clap.

From "head" plus the agent suffix "-er."

A blend of "Euro-" and "Asian", first recorded in the mid-19th century.

Formed from "Mongol" plus the suffix "-oid," meaning "resembling."