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 Ancient Greek syndrome, "a running together" or "concurrence" — from syn- ("with") and dromos ("running, course").

Likely from an older word "clumse", meaning numb or stiff with cold, plus the adjective ending -y.

By surface analysis, fold + -ing.

Borrowed from French phosphate, formed from "phosphoric acid" plus the chemical suffix "-ate," which denotes a salt or ester.

From in- + effectual, from Latin effectus, "accomplished."

From Latin ērōsiō, "eating away," from ērōdere ("to erode"). First used in English in the 1500s to describe ulcers wearing away tissue, before spreading to geology by the 1700s.

From Old English openlīċe, formed from open plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

From structure plus the adjective-forming suffix -al, dating to the 19th century.

An imitation of chewing sounds, popularized online from around 2007 and linked to Cookie Monster's catchphrase on Sesame Street, originally spelled "num num" before settling into today's "nom nom."

From an Anglo-Norman legal phrase used when opening a trial, roughly "guilty: ready [to prove our case]" — later mistaken as a term addressing the accused directly.

From un- + packed, or from unpack + -ed.

From dis- + belief.

From Middle English Rychemund, cognate with French Richemont ("town in Normandy"), equivalent to rich + mound.

From Old French depriver, from Medieval Latin deprivare, from Latin de- + privare, "to take away as one's own."

From foot + loose, describing feet that are free (loose) to go wherever they like.

Formed by doubling the letter "l" (for "line"), on the model of "pp." for "pages."

From kin + -ship, the same suffix that turns "friend" into "friendship."

From "yester-" (previous) plus "year" — literally "last year", broadened over time to mean "the past" in general.

From Middle English schrille, likely of Germanic origin, probably imitative of the sound.

From Latin ēvādō, "to go out or escape" — from ē- ("out of") + vādō ("to go, walk"), related to wade.

From Old French torete, a diminutive of tour ("tower"), ultimately from Latin turris.

An imitative word, mimicking the sound made when reading Morse code aloud.

Short for "bicycle motocross," a sport that began in California in the 1970s.

From short + the plural suffix -s.