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 leg plus the adjective suffix -y.

Built from pyro- ("fire") plus -maniac ("someone obsessed with").

From Latin frāgrāns, present participle of frāgrāre ("to smell sweetly").

Origin uncertain; likely from a Southern US dialect word for panting or breathing noisily, possibly blended with "haste."

From troupe + -er.

From uni- ("one, single") + sex.

From Middle English inward, from Old English inweard, corresponding to in + -ward.

From Latin influxus, "a flowing in," from influere, "to flow into."

Originally literal — fruit or wood "blown down" by the wind — before the figurative sense of unexpected good fortune developed.

From Ancient Greek "strategema" ("the act of a general"), from "strategos" ("a general") — the same root as "strategy."

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to obsolete Scots "hink" or African-American usage "hincty."

Formed from see plus the suffix -ing.

Middle English · 1600

First recorded around 1600, from Middle English cokenay, originally meaning a spoilt or pampered child, later used by country folk as a mocking term for city dwellers.

From Greek geneā ("descent, generation") plus -logia ("study of"), via Old French and Latin.

A shortening of "body."

From fuck + you.

From Middle English momelen, related to "mum" (silent); similar words exist in German and Dutch for indistinct chewing or muttering.

From Middle English cedre, via Old French cedre, from Latin cedrus, from Ancient Greek kedros.

From French pédale, going back to Latin pedalis, "of the foot" — from pes/ped-, "foot."

From Venetian Italian regatta, "a contest for mastery," related to a word meaning to compete or race.

Borrowed from French expertise, built from expert.

From "scare" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y."

Formed from "frighten" plus "-ing", turning the verb into a descriptive word.

From Middle English ferful, fervol, equivalent to fear + -ful.