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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Named, somewhat as an in-joke, after the given name Harold by improv pioneer Del Close, who developed the format at Chicago's iO Theater in the 1980s.

Formed from cover plus the noun-forming suffix -age; first recorded around 1912.

Formed from roll plus the -ing suffix.

From Late Latin theoreticus, from Greek theoretikos, related to theoria ("contemplation, theory").

From the Latin name of the religious order, the Society of Jesus, founded in the 16th century by Ignatius of Loyola.

Likely from an old imitative word meaning "to hiss" or "buzz," reflecting the sound itself.

From thought plus -less, meaning literally "lacking thought."

From Latin elaboratus, meaning "worked out fully" — from labor, "work."

From in- ("not") + valid, from Latin validus ("strong").

From Old Norse drúpa ("to droop"), a distant relative of both "drip" and "drop."

From Old Norse dúsa, "to doze, rest" — related to the word "dizzy."

From Greek Πλάτων (Plátōn), from πλατύς (platús, "broad, wide"), possibly a nickname referring to his physique or broad forehead.

Unknown, attested since 18th century. Compare Dutch snoezelen (“to snooze”) or Swedish snusa (“to snore lightly”). Compare also Ancient Greek νυστάζω (nustázō, “to doze, drowse”) and Russian сон (son, “sleep, dream”).

From Latin rotatio, built on rotare, "to revolve."

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

From Old French procreacion, from Latin prōcreātiō, from prōcreāre, "to bring forth."

From French prolifération, ultimately related to Latin roots meaning "to bear offspring" — the biological sense of cells multiplying came first, then it broadened to any rapid spread.

From Middle English shoting, schoting, from Old English scotung (“shooting”), from Proto-Germanic *skutungō, equivalent to shoot + -ing. Cognate with Dutch schieting, German Erschießung (“shooting”), Swedish skjutning (“shooting”).

Borrowed from Neapolitan and Sicilian Italian, from capire ("to understand"), from Latin capere ("to grasp, seize, comprehend").

From three plus the suffix -some, meaning "a group of."

Borrowed from French lancier, "one who carries a lance."

From droop + -ing.

Coined in German by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler from Greek skhizein ("to split") and phrēn ("mind"). It does not mean "split personality" — that's a common misunderstanding.

From light (not heavy) plus weight.