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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From Latin iurisdictio, combining ius, "law," and dictio, "the saying/declaring" — literally, the power to declare the law.

From Old French boteillier, "officer in charge of wine," ultimately from the same Latin root as "bottle."

From Angela + -ie.

A compound of head and quarters, originally denoting the lodgings ("quarters") of a commanding officer.

From French malaise, literally "ill ease" — mal- ("bad") plus aise ("ease").

From Latin formidabilis, "causing fear," from formido, "dread."

From Old French gruel, meaning coarse meal, ultimately from a Germanic word for ground grain, related to English groats and grit.

From un- + controlled.

From Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, "to pull apart," from dis- ("apart") and trahere ("to pull," also seen in tractor and traction).

From Latin distractio, "a pulling apart," built on the same root as distract.

From Latin resumere, "to take up again," from re- + sumere ("to take").

A back-formation from evaluation, itself from French évaluation.

Formed from decorate + -or.

From Latin cōnfīdentia plus the suffix -al, possibly modeled on French confidentiel.

The verb comes from Middle English defilen, tangled up with an older word defoulen ("to trample, oppress"), itself from Old French defouler ("to trample, crush"). The noun sense (a narrow pass) comes separately from French défiler, "to march in file."

From French fatiguer, from Latin fatigare, "to tire out, weary".

From Latin persistere, "to stand firm," from per- ("thoroughly") + sistere ("to stand").

From Latin congratulor, "to wish someone joy together with others" — from con- ("with") + gratulari ("to show joy"), related to gratus ("pleasing").

From Latin cingulum ("girdle" or "belt"), referring to the way the rash often wraps around the torso.

From Old English sċindel, ultimately from Latin scandula, related to a root meaning "to split" — early shingles were split from wood.

From Latin scrupulosus, related to scrupulus (a small sharp stone) — the image of a nagging pebble in one's shoe evolved into the sense of a nagging moral conscience.

From Latin paene ("almost") plus insula ("island") — literally an "almost-island."

Built from "pains" (effort) plus "taking," from the phrase "take pains." Because it's commonly pronounced as if it were "pain-staking," some speakers mistakenly assume it relates to a stake rather than to careful effort.

A stressed variant of "through," from Old English þuruh — the two words share the same root but split apart in meaning over time.