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 Latin separatio, from separo, "to separate."

From Latin regeneratus, "born again," from re- plus generare, "to produce, beget."

From Old English hǣling, formed from heal plus -ing.

From Greek therapeutikos ("attentive, curative"), from therapeuo ("I attend to, treat, cure").

Built from physio- (relating to nature/body) plus -logical, ultimately from Greek roots meaning "nature" and "study."

From Old English unfealdan, from un- + fold.

From un- ("reverse of") plus ravel, "to tangle" — so literally "to un-tangle."

From late Middle English propretee ("ownership"), from Anglo-Norman propreté, ultimately from Latin proprietas. A doublet of "property" — the two words diverged over centuries, with "propriety" keeping the sense of correctness and "property" keeping the sense of ownership.

From prude plus the adjective ending -ish.

Named "small" pox to distinguish it from the "great pox," an old name for syphilis.

A Middle English surname meaning "spearman", from "shake" (to brandish) plus "spear".

The -ing form of "chill", used from Middle English onward.

Formed from "chill" plus the adjective suffix -y.

From Old English ċiele, meaning cold, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to be cold" — the same root gave us "cool" and "cold".

From Latin dulcis, "sweet" — the same root behind "dulcet" and the Spanish word for candy.

First recorded around 1715; likely from a dialect word "scoon," meaning to skim across water.

From Late Latin vulnerabilis, "wounding," from Latin vulnero, "to wound."

A shortened, informal form of "vacuum."

From French fédéral, from Latin foedus, "covenant, treaty, alliance."

A blend of \"ethyl\" and \"alcohol\" — ethyl comes from Ancient Greek aithēr (\"ether\"), and alcohol traces back through Arabic al-kuhul.

Formed from in- ("not") plus organic.

A blend of "iPod" and "broadcast," coined in the mid-2000s as portable digital audio caught on.

From Anglo-Norman dowarie, ultimately from Latin dos ("gift, dowry"); a doublet of "dower."

Traced back through Middle English "stuflen" to Old French "estouffer" ("to choke or suffocate"), the same root that gives modern French "étouffer".