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 "pig" plus "sty", an old word for a pen or enclosure.

From French belle, "beautiful," from Latin bella.

The French form of Mary, also an early Middle English spelling of the name — a doublet of Mary.

From Spanish and Portuguese José, tracing back to the Hebrew name behind Joseph.

From "hang" + "man."

A shortened, informal form of "cartoon."

From French carton, ultimately from Italian cartone ("large sheet of paper"). It originally meant an artist's full-size preparatory sketch, later coming to mean a comic drawing.

From Old French festre, from Latin fistula, "pipe, ulcer" — a doublet of the medical word fistula.

From Ancient Greek tragikós ("of tragedy"), from trágos ("goat"), tied to the same obscure goat-related origin as "tragedy."

From 18th-century theatre slang: a "trap" for catching applause, i.e. a cheap line or gimmick designed purely to make an audience clap.

From Anglo-Norman mesnal, from maisnee ("household"), ultimately from Latin mānsiō ("house") — the same root that gives us "mansion."

From Late Latin amicabilis, "friendly," from amicus, "friend." A close relative of "amiable," from the same Latin root.

A variant of "thresh" (to separate grain from stalks by beating), from Old English þrescan.

From Old English trog, "a container for liquid," related to the word "tree" — early troughs were carved from hollowed logs.

From Old French enclore, ultimately from Latin includere ("to shut in"), from in- + claudere ("to shut"); related to "include."

An onomatopoeic spelling imitating a soft, understated laugh.

From Irish Ó Connalláin, which could be from con (“hound”) + leon (“lion”), though the second element could instead be from gal (“valor”), similar to O'Connell.

From "ultra-" ("beyond") plus "violet", since this radiation lies just beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum.

From "ultra-" ("beyond") plus "sonic" ("relating to sound").

From Medieval Latin omnisciens, "all-knowing," from Latin omnis ("all") and sciens ("knowing").

From Medieval Latin omnipraesens, from omni- ("all") and present.

From Latin omnipotens, "all-powerful," from omni- ("all") and potens ("powerful").

From Latin praecursor, \"forerunner,\" from praecurrere, \"to run ahead.\"

From Latin praeferre, \"to carry before, put first,\" from prae- (\"before\") plus ferre (\"to carry\").