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 French inactif, ultimately from Latin in- plus activus.

From Medieval Latin vegetativus, related to vegetare ("to enliven"), same root family as "vegetable" and "vegetation."

Named after William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, patron of the city's founder.

Borrowed from Middle French contusion, from Latin contusio, from contundere ("to beat, to bruise"), from com- plus tundere ("to beat").

From Latin Flōra, the Roman goddess of flowers.

From French rapport, "a bringing back" or "relation" — related to the word "report."

From short + wave.

A straightforward compound of "wave" and "length," coined for physics and later extended figuratively to describe how well two people's thinking aligns.

From Greek emphasis, "significance" or "appearance," from emphainein, "to show clearly."

From Medieval Latin gestura, "a way of carrying oneself," ultimately from Latin gerere, "to carry, bear, or behave."

Borrowed from German Kartell in the 19th century, itself from French cartel, ultimately from Italian cartello ("placard"), from Latin charta.

From Middle English pissere; equivalent to piss + -er (agent noun). The sense referring to a urinal formed from piss + -er (patient suffix).

Borrowed directly from French merde ("shit"); related to the English word "merd," now archaic.

From Old French mouton ("sheep"), tracing back to a Gaulish word for a ram or wether — the same root that gives French "mouton" today.

A straightforward compound of "tooth" and "brush", describing exactly what the object does.

A compound of "tooth" and "paste", named for its texture and purpose.

From Old French roussel, from Latin russus ("red"), via a diminutive form.

From "dentist" plus the suffix "-ry," tracing back through French to Latin dens ("tooth").

From blood + stream.

From Old French objeccion, from Latin obiectio, built on the same root as object.

From Middle English bylet, via Anglo-Norman billette ("list, schedule"), ultimately from Latin bulla ("document").

From an earlier word "daff" (a fool) plus the "-y" adjective suffix.

Borrowed from Spanish armadillo, literally "little armored one," a diminutive of armado ("armored") — a nod to the animal's bony, shell-like plates.

From Old English wrǣþþu, built on the adjective "wroth" ("angry") plus a suffix forming abstract nouns — much like "warmth" from "warm."