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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

Built from young plus the suffix -ster, which forms nouns naming a type of person; first recorded in the early 1600s.

From Old English "geolca," related to "geolu" meaning "yellow" — the yolk is literally "the yellow part."

Borrowed from German "jodeln," describing the same style of singing associated with Alpine folk music.

The "-ing" adjective/noun form of "yield", from Old English gieldan ("to pay, yield").

From Old English ġierning, the noun form of "yearn."

From Old English ġeornan ("to desire, beg"), from a Germanic root meaning "eager" or "willing."

A straightforward compound of "year" and "book."

An alternative pronunciation, equivalent of yeah and yes.

From Old English wer, "man," related to Latin vir (also "man"), which gives us words like "virile."

From various origins. See below

From Middle English shomaker, from shoe + maker.

From Latin Crispinus, related to Crispus meaning "curly-haired," and associated with the Roman martyr Saint Crispin, patron saint of cobblers.

Norwegian · 1882

Named after the Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed the jump in 1882.

From Middle French casque; a doublet of "casco" and "casque".

From Latin errāticus, "wandering," from errāre, "to wander or stray" — the same root that gives us "error" and "err."

From Latin conventus, "a coming together" — the same root as "convene."

A shortened form of the Spanish given name Guadalupe.

From automatic plus the adverb ending -ally; "automatic" traces back to Greek autómatos, "acting of one's own will."

From Latin proximitas, from proximus, "nearest" — related to proximal and approximate.

Compound of rest + room; the term began as a polite euphemism for a lavatory.

A regional variant of "tick," referring to a light touch, related to the game of tag.

From converge + -ence (after Latin convergentia).

From zoology plus the adjective ending -ical.

From zip ("to move fast") plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.