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 Old French reformer, from Latin reformare ("to shape again"), from re- plus formare ("to form").

From basic + the adverb suffix -ally.

From Ancient Greek taktikos, "fit for arranging," via New Latin tactica.

From Old French excepcion, from Latin exceptio, built on the same root as "except."

From German Friedrich, ultimately from Old High German Fridurih, combining words meaning "peace" and "ruler" — so literally "peaceful ruler."

From Middle English "kyllyng," the noun/adjective form of "kill."

The flour and cracker are named after Sylvester Graham, a 19th-century American dietary reformer.

From Middle English overturnen, formed from over- + turn.

From "top" plus "-le", a suffix that historically formed repeated or gradual actions — the sense of something tipping over bit by bit from being top-heavy.

A straightforward compound of "water" and "front" — literally the front edge of the land where it meets the water.

From Middle English waccheman, formed from watch plus man.

From watch + maker.

From Middle English waccheful, formed from watch plus -ful.

From Middle English wacchere, formed from watch plus -er.

From Middle English wastful, formed from waste plus -ful.

From Latin ascendere, "to climb up," built from ad- ("to") plus scandere ("to climb") — the same root gives us "scan" and "descend."

From wash + room, originally naming a room with sinks for washing up; now mostly used as a polite word for "toilet."

Formed from the phrasal verb "wash out."

From Latin menstruus ("monthly"), from mēnsis ("month").

From logging camps around 1905, where flimsy equipment held together with hay-bale wire was called a "haywire outfit" — the phrase "go haywire" grew from that image of things falling apart or tangling unpredictably.

A noun formed from the phrasal verb "stick up," as in the classic command to raise one's hands.

From the phrasal verb "pull over," describing how the garment is put on.

From the surname Jackson, formed as "son of Jack."

The sky-phenomenon sense began as a jokey placeholder name given by citizen scientists before it was retrofitted into the backronym "Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement."