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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Borrowed from French optimiste, built on Latin optimus, "best."

From French optimisme, built on Latin optimus ("best") plus -ism — originally referring to the philosophical view that this is the best of all possible worlds.

From Middle English winged, wenged (“having wings”), past participle of wingen, from the noun winge, wenge.

From German Pudel, short for Pudelhund, referring to the way the dog splashes in water.

From Middle English derkly, derkely, derkliche, derkeliche; equivalent to dark + -ly. Compare Old English deorclīċe, a parallel formation.

From impersonate + -or.

A straightforward compound of ram ("to force something in") and rod.

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic Eòin.

Coined around 1900 from Latin ē- ("out of") plus scala ("ladder") plus the agent suffix -tor — originally a trademark for the moving-stair device before becoming a generic word.

Old Norse · 1500

First recorded in the 1500s; the second half of the word comes from an old Northern English word for a scab, related to Old Norse hrufa.

First recorded in 1598, built from in- (\"not\") plus discriminate.

From Old French arrumage, "the arranging of cargo in a ship's hold," originally a nautical term for stowing goods.

From Greek rhythmikos, from rhythmos ("rhythm") plus the adjective-forming suffix -ikos.

From a- ("without") + systole ("contraction of the heart").

From "flat" + "line" — describing the straight, unmoving trace an ECG or EEG produces when there's no more activity to record.

From Latin serēnitās, built from serene plus the suffix "-ity."

From Old English deathbedd, a straightforward compound of death and bed.

From Latin optimus, "best," the superlative of bonus, "good."

From Greek optikos, "of or for sight," from optos, "visible."

Built from oppress plus the adjective ending -ive, ultimately from Latin opprimere, "to press down or crush."

Borrowed from Latin ricinus, the name of the castor-oil plant the poison is extracted from.

From Old French oppressor and Latin oppressor, the "one who presses down" — from the same root as oppress.

From Old French oppression, from Latin oppressio ("a pressing down"), from the verb opprimere — "to press against, crush."

From Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare, based on Latin opprimere, "to press against" — from ob- ("against") plus premere ("to press").