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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Of disputed origin — possibly from an Old English compound meaning roughly "district man" (a man attached to a local area), or possibly a worn-down form of "young man".

Formed from underlie plus the ending -ing.

From mythology + -ical.

From nymphomania plus -ac, ultimately combining Greek nymphe ("bride") with mania ("madness").

An imitative spelling of a growling sound.

A coined, faux-Spanish word intended to mean "to make pictures".

Modelled on French révolutionnaire, formed from revolution plus -ary.

From Old English bærlīċe, built from "bare" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly" — originally meaning something closer to "openly" before it shifted to mean "just barely."

From Latin inflictus, past participle of infligere, "to strike against," from in- plus fligere ("to strike").

From Latin insertus, past participle of inserere, "to join or bind together" — in- plus serere, "to join."

From Latin significantia, related to significare ("to signify").

From watch + tower.

From war plus path, originally describing the literal route taken by a group heading into armed conflict.

From war plus -like, "resembling or characteristic of war."

From Latin īnfantia, "early childhood," from infant + -cy.

From Old English scirgerefa, combining scir ("shire") and gerefa ("reeve," an official) — literally "shire-reeve." Despite the similar sound, it has no historical connection to the Arabic-derived word Sharif.

From Old French installer, from Medieval Latin installare ("to put in place"), from in- + stallum ("stall, place"), ultimately from a Germanic word for a fixed position.

A modern phonetic spelling of Maia or Maya.

From Late Latin manifestatio, built from manifest- plus -ation.

From Old French "tombe," from Latin "tumba," from Greek "τύμβος" (túmbos), meaning "burial mound" or "grave."

First recorded in the 1670s (as a verb) and 1680s (as a noun). The exact origin is unclear — it may have started as London street slang, and some think it comes from an Irish phrase meaning "talk of women."

Borrowed from Italian fantasia, ultimately from Ancient Greek phantasia, "imagination" — a relative of "fantasy" and "fancy."

From French voyeur, from voir, "to see."

From war plus head, originally used to distinguish a live, explosive-carrying "war head" of a torpedo from an inert practice one.