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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A clipped form of "narcotics (control) officer".

From French faciliter, ultimately from Latin facilis, "easy."

From French facétieux, from Latin facetia, "jest, wit."

A literal compound of face and lift — the surgical procedure "lifts" sagging facial skin.

From Latin violāre, "to treat with violence," ultimately from vīs, "force."

From Anglo-Norman outrageus, built on outrage + -ous.

From dis- + regard.

"Goose" plus "berry," though the connection to actual geese is unclear — some scholars think the first part was originally a different word, twisted over time by folk etymology into "goose."

From Old English roots meaning to move stealthily, combined with the -ing ending.

Clipped form of pudding.

From Old English "prætt," meaning "trick" or "wile" — the sense shifted over time from "a trick" to "a foolish person," and separately came to mean "buttocks."

From Old Norse þverr, meaning "transverse" or "across" — the same root behind the word "queer."

Borrowed from French mystique, itself from Latin mysticus — a doublet of the English word "mystic."

Origin unclear — likely a blend of "chunk" and "lump" (or "stump"), possibly related to "chub" (something chubby or thick).

As "minute/minimum", simply a clipped abbreviation. As the language name, from the river Min in Fujian, China.

The "stone money" sense is borrowed from Yapese raay.

From Old French "transgression," ultimately from Latin "transgressus" ("stepped across").

Related to the plural of main, and to "manse."

A straightforward compound of "dust" (originally referring to ash and household rubbish) and "bin."

From dodge + -y, first recorded in mid-19th-century England.

The locomotive sense comes from the resemblance of the subclass's dangling jumper cables to the pipes of a bagpipe.

Formed from tough plus the suffix -en, which turns adjectives into verbs meaning "to make (more) so."

Origin uncertain; one popular theory links it to the bumbling "Mr. Boffin" character in Dickens's novel Our Mutual Friend.

From Old English hwearf, originally meaning a heap or embankment, related to an old word for "turning" — likely describing the way goods were turned over at the dockside.