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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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

From back + hand.

The cooking sense is from Hindi दम (dam), meaning "breath" or "steam."

From Middle English wheraboutes, built from "whereabout" plus the adverbial "-s" ending.

From Old English wittig, meaning clever or wise, built from wit plus the adjective ending -y.

From French prétentieux, ultimately from Latin praetendere ("to put forward, to claim"). Note the spelling with "t" rather than "s", unlike the related word "pretense".

From Old English sċīr, meaning an administrative district under an official, related to a root meaning "to care for" or "to oversee."

From Middle English whelbarwe, a combination of "wheel" and an old word for a hand-carried frame (related to "barrow").

From Latin iniustitia, "unfairness," built from in- ("not") plus iustitia ("justice").

From Old English wuduland, a straightforward compound of "wood" and "land."

From Latin exclusio, from excludere, "to shut out."

From "entire" plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Old French participacion, from Latin participatio, built on the verb participare.

From "stretch" plus the agent suffix "-er."

As a surname and given name, from Old French Louis, ultimately from the Frankish name meaning roughly "famous warrior."

Borrowed from French discothèque, originally meaning "record library," from disque ("disc/record") plus -thèque ("collection, storage place").

From Middle English waninge, alteration of earlier waniand, waniende, from Old English waniende, from Proto-Germanic *wanōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *wanōną (“to wane”), equivalent to wane + -ing.

From tail plus spin, describing an aircraft spiraling downward tail-first.

From Old French provocacion, from Latin provocatio, from provocare, "to call forth, challenge" — the noun form of provoke.

Borrowed directly from Korean taegwondo.

extracurricular

Formed from extra- ("outside") + curricular, referring to anything beyond the set curriculum.

From Old English sleċġ, "mallet, hammer" — the same Germanic root gave Dutch and Swedish words for a heavy hammer.

From Old English ūtlendisċ, meaning "foreign," built from "out-," "land," and the adjective suffix "-ish." Its meaning shifted over time from simply "foreign" to "bizarre" or "strange."

From un- + common.