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 Late Latin incōnspicuus, from in- ("not") plus conspicuus ("visible, clear").

From Middle English personable, built from "person" plus the suffix "-able."

From Old English bur, "dwelling" or "room," related to German Bauer, "birdcage."

A clipping of "Ronald."

From Old Norse alfr, the same root that gives English "elf" and "oaf".

From French retracer, from Middle French retracier.

A dialect pronunciation of "creature" first recorded in 1815, mostly associated with rural American English.

From back + track — literally to travel back over the same track or path.

From remind + -er.

Formed from "spear" plus "head," originally meaning the pointed tip of the weapon.

Anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic Raghnall, which traces back to Old Norse Rǫgnvaldr, combining words meaning "advice" and "power."

From Japanese maru, meaning "circle," traditionally used as a suffix in ship names.

From Italian giulio, named after Pope Julius II, who had the coin struck. A doublet of the name Julius.

From Old French "plommet", a small ball of lead used on a measuring line; the verb sense of "falling swiftly" developed centuries later from the noun.

From Old English gidig, meaning "possessed by a spirit" or "insane" — the sense softened over time from madness to dizziness to lighthearted excitement.

From Middle English disavauntage, borrowed from Old French desavantage.

Borrowed from Spanish "jefe" (leader, boss), tracing back through Old French to Latin "caput" (head) — the same root that gives English "chief" and "chef."

From Middle English astronomer, equivalent to astronomy + -er. Displaced native Old English tungolcræftiga.

Formed from suggest plus -ive.

From sub- ("further, additionally") plus division.

From "lubricate" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ion."

Formed from expose plus the noun ending -ure.

From Old English swāpan, "to sweep" — the same root that gave us the word sweep itself.

A pet form of Ed-, the shared first syllable of several English given names.