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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An initialism for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender," which grew out of the earlier abbreviation LGB and has been in use since the late 1980s.

From Middle French commerce, from Latin commercium ("trade"), from com- + merx ("merchandise").

Named after Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first Proprietary Governor of Maryland.

A softened version of the oath "by God," altered so as not to invoke the name directly.

From un- + accompanied.

From Middle English unacceptabylle, built from un- plus acceptable.

From un- ("not") plus scrupulous, "having scruples or moral care."

From Old French destorber, from Latin disturbare, "to throw into disorder" — combining dis- with turbare ("to agitate"), the same root as turbulent.

From Latin administrare, "to manage, to serve," from ad- ("to") plus ministrare ("to attend, to serve") — the same root as "minister."

From magic + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

A softened, minced form of a much stronger intensifier, built on "freak" as a euphemistic substitute.

A blend of "microcomputer" and "software," coined when the company was founded in the 1970s to sell software for early personal computers.

From Old French pocion, from Latin potio ('a drinking, a drink'), from potare ('to drink'). It's a close relative of the word poison.

A shortened form of Edward, Theodore, Thaddeus, or Edmund.

From the personal name John, used generically as slang for various everyday objects.

From French périodique, ultimately from Greek periodos ("cycle").

From Latin "umbilicus", meaning "navel", plus the adjective suffix "-al".

From "ultra-" ("beyond") plus "sound".

First recorded in 1607; the origin of the word is uncertain.

From Latin "ultra", meaning "beyond".

From Latin "ultimatus", meaning "final" — from "ultimus", "last".

From Latin "ulterior", meaning "further" or "more distant" — the sense shifted to mean something concealed "beyond" what is visible.

From Old French "ulcere", from Latin "ulcus".

Formed from "ugly" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness".