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 Middle English massif, via Middle French, built from mass plus the adjective ending -ive.

From Old French infection, from Late Latin īnfectiō, from infect + -ion.

From Old French tassel, from Latin tāxillus (small cube/die), related to tālus, meaning ankle.

From Latin exterminare, "to drive out" or "destroy", from ex- ("thoroughly") plus terminus ("boundary, end").

From Latin intersecare, "to cut between," from inter- ("between") plus secare ("to cut").

From French aide, "helper," related to "aide-de-camp" (a military officer's field assistant).

From Old French overture, ultimately from Latin apertura ("opening"). It is a doublet of aperture.

From Middle English gaspen, likely related to an Old Norse word meaning "to yawn."

Traced back through Arabic and Ottoman Turkish to a Phoenician word believed to mean "wells."

From Greek Damaskos, itself from an ancient Semitic name for the city.

From Latin desperatus, "without hope" — built from de- ("without") and sperare ("to hope").

From "sweep" plus the "-er" ending, from Middle English swepere.

From sewer (the drainage system) plus the suffix -age.

Formed from spice plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y," first recorded in the 1500s.

The English form of the Irish saints' name Brighid, ultimately linked to a Celtic goddess of the same name.

From Old French overt/ouvert, "opened," ultimately from Latin aperire ("to open"). It is a doublet of aperture.

From Latin ovatio, a lesser form of victory celebration than a full triumph, from the verb ovare, "to rejoice."

From New Latin ovarium, ultimately from Latin ovum, "egg."

From Middle English outwardly, outwardli, utwardliche, equivalent to outward + -ly.

From Old English utweard, built from out + -ward, the same suffix meaning "in the direction of" found in "forward" and "homeward."

From out- + set, replacing earlier outsetting.

From Middle English outright. By surface analysis, out + right.

From Latin carnivorus, "flesh-eating" — the adjective form of the same root behind "carnivore."

From Old French leçon, from Latin lectio, "a reading," from legere, "to read."