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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Formed from ventilate plus the agent suffix -or.

From Latin interruptio, from interrumpere, "to break apart."

From Latin ventilātus, past participle of ventilāre ("to fan, to expose to air").

Formed from venge (an older verb meaning "to avenge") plus the suffix -ful.

From Old French veneracion, from Latin veneratio, from venerari ("to revere").

From Old French venerable, from Latin venerabilis, from venerari ("to revere, worship").

Borrowed from Italian vendetta ("revenge"), from Latin vindicta — the same root as "vindicate" and "avenge".

From Latin Vaticanus, the name of one of Rome's seven hills, where the Vatican was later built. The exact origin of the hill's name is unknown, though it was later folk-linked to a Latin verb for prophesying.

Formed from vast plus the noun-forming suffix -ness.

Built from "vas" (short for vas deferens, the tube carrying sperm) plus the medical suffix "-ectomy," meaning "surgical removal."

From Latin varix, meaning a swollen or twisted vein, ultimately tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root connected to words for "top" or "ridge."

A variant of Neat.

From Latin firmamentum ("support, sky"), used in the Bible to translate a Hebrew word for the vault of the heavens.

From Latin historia ("story, history"), via Old French historien.

From devote plus the adjective suffix -ed.

From Medieval Latin gradualis, from Latin gradus ("step"), the same root behind "grade" and "graduate."

From Old French golf, from Italian golfo, ultimately from Ancient Greek kolpos ("bosom, gulf").

From gradual plus the adverb suffix -ly.

From Old English clerc ("clergyman; learned man"), the source also of the word clerk.

From Middle English takel, "gear" or "apparatus," related to a Middle Dutch word for ship's rigging.

From Latin proiectio, from proicio, "to throw forward."

From Old French tablete, a small version of table, ultimately from Latin tabula, "board" or "plank."

From leg plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

From Italian manifesto, from manifestare, "to make public," ultimately from the same Latin root as manifest.