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 jitter + bug, popularized by Cab Calloway's 1934 song "Jitter Bug."

From an older word "justle", related to "joust" — originally meaning to clash or come into contact.

From Latin iuniperus, "juniper tree," of uncertain further origin.

From propose + -al, following the pattern of turning a verb into a noun for the thing proposed.

From Scots dour, likely from Latin dūrus ("hard, stern").

From Old French vyn egre, "sour wine" — from vin ("wine") and aigre ("sour," related to English "acrid" and "eager").

From Latin vindicātiō, from vindicō, "to avenge or defend," ultimately tied to vīs, "force."

From Old French amor, from Latin amor, "love".

From Old French vilenie, related to villain.

From Old French vileneus, from villain.

Formed from "vigorous" plus the adverb ending "-ly."

From Latin vigilia ("wakefulness, a watch"), from vigil ("awake") — the same root that gives us "vigilant" and "vigour."

From Old English fēorþing, "a fourth part" — built from fēorþa ("fourth"), the same root as "fourth" itself.

From Late Latin inanimatus, from in- plus animatus, "animated" or "given life."

From Latin animatus, "filled with breath or spirit," from anima ("soul, breath") — the same root as "animal" and "animation."

A compound of play and back.

From the tribe's own name for itself, Myaamia, in the Miami-Illinois language.

A straightforward compound of "view" and "point."

Formed from "view" plus the agent-noun ending "-er," meaning "one who views."

A combination of "video" and "tape" — originally a trademark of the media company Ampex before it became a generic term.

From Latin victoriosus, built on victoria ("victory"), itself from victor ("conqueror").

From the name of Queen Victoria (1819 to 1901) plus the ending "-an," which turns a name into an adjective — the same pattern as "Elizabethan" or "Edwardian."

From Haerviu, name of a Breton saint, from Old Breton hoiarn (“iron”) + viu (“blazing”). Cognate with modern Breton Haerviu. In Ireland, used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó hAirmheadhaigh and Ó hEarchaidh. The civil parish in New Brunswick is probably named in honour of British colonial administrator John Harvey (1778 - 1852).

Likely an informal, softened variant of piddle or wee, used mainly in speaking to or about young children.