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 questionnaire, from Late Latin quaestionarius, related to quaestio, "question."

From question + -able.

A learned borrowing from Ancient Greek petalon ("leaf"), from petalos ("broad, flat, spread out").

From mislead + -ing.

From Old English understanding, formed from understand plus the noun-forming suffix -ing.

Shortened from "tarmacadam" (tar + macadam, a road surface made of crushed stone); originally a trademark named after its inventor, Edgar Hooley.

From "frizz" plus "-y".

From Old French fum, "smoke," from Latin fumus, "smoke, vapor" — related to the English word "dust."

From Old French furie, from Latin furia ("rage"), related to the mythological Furies, goddesses of vengeance.

Origin uncertain — possibly related to a Germanic word for something loose or spongy, or a back-formation from "fuzzy."

From Old French retrover, "to find again" — from re- ("again") + trover ("to find").

A compound of "sledge" (a heavy hammer) and "hammer" — essentially "hammer-hammer," emphasising its size.

From Old French crualté, from Latin crudelitas, related to "cruel."

Possibly related to Dutch bek and English beak, from the idea of a small hook-like loop.

Spanish · 1919

Borrowed from Spanish zorro ("fox") — also the name of the masked swordsman created by pulp writer Johnston McCulley in 1919.

From back + water, originally describing water pushed back by an obstruction, later extended to mean a place left behind by progress.

Named after the German chemist Robert Bunsen, who helped popularize the burner design in the 1850s.

From Old English hulu, meaning the covering of a seed — related to words in other Germanic languages meaning "cover" or "wrap."

From a Middle English word for the fish organ, related to Old Norse and Scandinavian words for gills or lips — not connected to the given name Gill, which is a short form of Julian or Gillian.

From journal + the agent suffix -ist, meaning "one who works with journals".

Formed from tank plus the agent suffix -er, describing a vehicle or vessel built around a tank.

From Old English seldan, "seldom," related to German selten and Dutch zelden.

From Old French forgiere, related to forge.

From Old French exceller, from Latin excellere, "to rise high, tower above" — from ex- ("out") plus a root related to "culmen" (top, summit), the same root as "culminate."