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 lunch + box.

From cyan- (referring to the blue pigment Prussian blue, in which the compound was first identified) plus the chemical suffix -ide.

A casual, dialectal pronunciation of "girl," first recorded in the late 1700s.

Borrowed via German from Italian giro ("circulation"), ultimately from Latin gyrus ("circle").

First recorded in 19th-century America as underworld slang for a device used to make counterfeit coins, later broadening to mean anything fake or of poor quality.

From Latin pomposus, "stately, showy," ultimately from pompa, "procession" — the same root as "pomp."

An imitative word coined to mimic the quick, sharp sound of something moving rapidly.

From Latin caninus, "of dogs," from canis, "dog."

A blend of "pop" and "icicle", named after inventor Frank Epperson — his children called his frozen treat "Pop's 'sicle".

From Old French ambiguite, from Latin ambiguitas, from ambiguus — see "ambiguous".

From Middle English turner or Old French torneour, meaning "one who fashions something by turning" — related to "turn" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From Old English is ("ice") plus ickle, an old word for a small point of ice — the two fused into one word over time.

From Latin odiosus, "hateful", from odium, "hatred" — the same root as the English word "odium".

From Old French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus ("agreeable, obliging"), from gratia ("favor, esteem") — the same root as grace.

From Old English landmearc, "boundary marker," from land + mark.

A straightforward compound of god and the suffix -less ("without").

From cricket + the agent suffix -er, meaning "one who does."

From Anglo-Norman flanelle, ultimately traced back to a Celtic word for coarse wool.

From scrub + -er, simply meaning "something or someone that scrubs."

From sea + bed.

From Spanish lazo ("loop, snare"), tracing back to Latin laqueus ("noose") — the same root that gives us "lace".

From over- + lap (in the sense of one thing folding or lying over another); related to Dutch overlap.

From Old French encoragier, from en- + corage ("courage, heart").

From North Germanic (Danish Kirsten and Norwegian Kirsten). Doublet of Christina.