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 Latin Elysium, itself from Ancient Greek Ēlúsion (Pedíon), "the Elysian plain."

From Latin tribalis, built on tribus ("tribe"), first recorded in English in the 1630s.

From Old Northern French caudron, from Late Latin caldaria ("cooking pot"), from Latin caldus ("hot"). Related to "chowder" and "caldera."

From Latin usura ("interest, payment for use of money"), from usus ("use").

From con- ("with, together") + genial, from Latin genius, "one's inborn character or spirit".

From chub (a thick-bodied fish, also an old nickname for a plump person) + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From an Old Norse phrase meaning "on one's belly," which became the verb grufla ("to grovel"), eventually reshaped in English as grovel.

The -ing form of "kid" (to tease playfully).

From majesty + -ic, first used in this form in the 1600s.

From Latin sēminālis, "of seed," from sēmen, "seed" — the same root behind "seminar" and "disseminate."

A back-formation from "reminiscence," ultimately from Latin reminisci ("to remember").

From Latin inter- ("between") plus ludo ("to play").

Borrowed from Japanese tōfu, itself from Middle Chinese for "curdled bean."

From Middle English walkere (“one who walks, traveller”), equivalent to walk + -er.

Formed from "tele-" plus "-gram" ("something written").

From "tele-" ("distant") plus "-metry" ("measurement").

From Old English "weorcdæg," simply "work" plus "day."

From unaware + the adverbial -s ending, and actually recorded in English before "unaware" itself.

From Japanese karate, literally "empty hand" — originally written with characters meaning "China hand" before being reinterpreted to reflect fighting empty-handed, without weapons.

From Latin interceptum, past participle of intercipere, "to take between" (inter-, "between" + capere, "to take, seize").

Borrowed via other European languages, ultimately traced to a word meaning "north wind" or "north."

From park + -ing.

From Middle English berkyng, berkande, equivalent to bark + -ing.

From Spanish bobo ("fool"), ultimately from Latin balbus ("stammering"). The bird got the name from its supposedly clumsy, foolish-looking behaviour on land.