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 placatio.

From Middle French portatif, corresponding to port + -ative.

From peach + -er.

From Middle English ponderusnes, equivalent to ponderous + -ness.

From Latin polypus, from Ancient Greek πολύπους (polúpous). Doublet of polyp.

Borrowed from Latin persōnālia.

From phyto- + -logist.

From pot + shot. 1858, shot taken for the (cooking) pot, namely for food; see pothunter. Sense “opportunistic criticism” from 1926. Sense “drunk” from obsolete pot (“cup used for drinking liquor”).

Shortening of pregnant + -ers.

From play + fellow.

Variant form of pagoda.

Borrowed from Russian пельме́ни (pelʹméni, singular пельме́нь (pelʹménʹ)), which in turn is borrowed from Permic (Komi/Udmurt) пельнянь (peľňaň).

From payable + -ly.

From Middle French poltron, from Italian poltrone.

From pot + herb.

From patriarchy + -al.

From pot + ash, because the substance was originally obtained by leaching ash in water and then boiling down the resulting solution in a pot. Compare Dutch potas, German Pottasche.

Blend of pathetic + sad.

Borrowed from French potage, and from earlier borrowing pottage.

From Latin piceus (“like pitch; pitch-black”) + -ous (suffix forming adjectives denoting possession or presence of a quality). Piceus is derived from pix (“pitch, tar”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“fat; milk”)) + -eus (suffix forming adjectives indicating the sources of attributes). The English word is cognate with Italian piceo (“like pitch; of a dark brown colour”), Spanish piceo (“like pitch; of a dark brown colour”).

Learned borrowing from Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pile.

From pine + -y.

From translingual Pelargonium, from Ancient Greek πελαργός (pelargós, “stork”).

From print + seller.