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 un- + proven.

From un- + foreseen.

From Greek theorema ("proposition to be proved"), related to theoria ("theory") and theatre.

From Old French variance, ultimately from Latin variantia, related to variare, "to change."

Formed from wire plus the suffix -ing.

From wire plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

From Middle French feuillage, ultimately from Latin folium ("leaf").

From green plus the suffix -ery, following the same pattern as words like "bakery" or "shrubbery."

From Old English waru ("goods, merchandise"), rooted in a Proto-Germanic word meaning "attention" or "something valuable to guard" — the same root that gives us "ward" and "beware."

From repeated plus the adverb suffix -ly.

From Old English togian ("to drag, draw"), related to "tow" and going back to an ancient root meaning "to pull."

Borrowed from Spanish Navajo, itself from the Tewa word navahúuˀu, meaning roughly "field next to a ravine."

From French Charlotte, a feminine diminutive of Charles; several places of this name honour Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818).

From Middle English synnere, from sin plus the agent suffix -er.

From Latin convincere, "to prove, to demonstrate conclusively" — from con- + vincere ("to conquer").

From "Titan," the race of giant gods in Greek mythology.

From Middle English bodily, built from body plus the suffix -ly.

From Middle English grynde, meaning a hollow or depression, later reshaped under the influence of the word "loin."

By surface analysis, bleed + -ing.

Built from wham plus the suffix -y, turning the sound of a hit into a noun for a jinx or blow of misfortune.

From Latin aptitudo, from aptus, "fit, suitable" — a doublet of attitude, which comes from the same Latin root by a different path.

An imitative word, invented to mimic the sound of a sudden, forceful collision.

From Latin "plūma" meaning feather or down, arriving in English through French.

From Old French peticiun, from Latin petitio, "a request," from petere, "to seek or ask for."