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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A spelling variant of Roxane, ultimately from Old Persian, meaning roughly "bright" or "dawn."

Formed as a diminutive of Roxana/Roxane/Roxanne with the -y ending.

A straightforward combination of "pawn" and "broker."

From "pawn" plus "shop."

From Middle English warder, wardere, perhaps in part continuing Old English weardere (“one who holds a country; inhabitant”), from Proto-West Germanic *wardārī (“guard, follower, watchman, lookout”), equivalent to ward + -er. Cognate with Dutch waarder (“inspector”), German Low German Wärder (“guard, watchman”), German Wärter (“guard, keeper, attendant”).

From Anglo-Norman wardein, related to "guard" — a doublet of "guardian," both ultimately from the same Germanic root meaning to watch over.

From Middle English wantyng, wantynge, wantand, equivalent to want + -ing.

From German Walzer, from walzen "to turn" or "to roll" — the dance is named for its distinctive turning, gliding steps.

From Middle English walet, originally meaning a bag or knapsack, of uncertain deeper origin.

Coined in Australian English, based on the phrase "walk about," describing a journey taken on foot.

From Middle English waknen, from Old English wæcnan, from Proto-Germanic *waknaną.

From disorder plus the adjective-forming suffix -ly.

From mess + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From Medieval Latin syllabus, "list" — itself traced back to a copying error of a Greek word for a parchment label.

From Old French restreindre, from Latin restringere, "to bind fast, restrict" — the same root that gives us "restrict" and "string."

From Old French restorer, from Latin restaurare, formed from re- ("again") plus a root related to "to build."

A shortening of the Latin phrase "mobile vulgus" ("fickle crowd"), via the English word "mobile."

From Latin praefectura, formed from prefect plus -ure.

From thermo- ("heat") plus dynamics, first used in the 1850s.

From Latin conspicuus, "visible, striking," from conspicere, "to catch sight of" — con- plus specere, "to look at."

Borrowed from French impromptu, ultimately from Latin in promptu ("in readiness").

From Middle English bocchen ("to mend"), of uncertain origin — possibly related to Old English words for repairing or improving something.

From Latin triviālis, "commonplace," from trivium ("crossroads") — the same root as "trivia."

From flesh + the adjective-forming suffix -y.