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 Latin scaenicus, "of the stage," from Greek skēnikós.

From sing plus -ing, the noun/adjective-forming suffix.

From un- plus disciplined.

From un- plus developed.

From un- plus detected.

From un- plus desirable.

From Latin sanitas, "health", the same root that gives "sane" and "sanitary".

A straightforward compound of "best" and "seller."

From Latin dominari, "to rule, to be lord and master," from dominus, "lord" — the same root behind "dominion" and "domain."

From Middle English talkatyve, formed from talk plus the adjective suffix -ative.

From Latin integrare, "to make whole," from integer, "whole, entire."

A learned borrowing from New Latin propensitas, built from propense ("inclined, disposed") plus -ity.

From Latin lātitūdō ("breadth, width"), from lātus ("broad, wide").

From survey plus the ending -ing, turning the verb into the name of the profession or activity.

Originally just the stadium where baseball is played; the "rough estimate" sense grew from the phrase "ballpark figure" in the mid-20th century.

From inter- ("between") plus planetary.

From Old English stigweard, meaning "keeper of the hall" or "steward."

The name Larry blends and shortens "Laurence"/"Lawrence"; the "commotion" sense is a separate, older informal usage of unclear origin.

Ellipsis of Gary Glitter.

Formed from inter- ("between") and stellar, from Latin stella, "star."

From Latin Hadrianus, "of Hadria," an ancient port town; a doublet of the name Hadrian.

From Old English stān ("stone") + lēah ("meadow" or "clearing"), originally a place name before becoming a surname and then a first name.

From publish plus the agent suffix -er.

From Old French respondre, from Latin respondere, "to answer, promise in return."