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 aequilibrium, from aequus ("equal") + libra ("balance, scale").

Named after Samuel Maverick, a 19th-century Texan rancher and politician who famously refused to brand his cattle, letting them roam unmarked — his name became a word for anyone who won't follow the herd.

First recorded in the late 18th century as a back-formation from "mutation," ultimately from Latin mutare, "to change."

From Greek a- ("not") added to typical.

From un- + conventional, from Latin conventio (\"agreement, gathering\") via convention.

Borrowed from French bizarre ("odd, peculiar"), which most likely came from Italian bizzarro ("eccentric, frisky").

From Old French imaginer, from Latin imaginari, built on imago ("image, likeness").

From Old French suspect, from Latin suspectus, the past participle of suspicere, "to look up at, mistrust" — from sub- ("under") plus specere ("to look").

From Latin suspicio, from suspicere, "to look up at, mistrust" — from sub- ("up to") plus specere ("to look at").

Borrowed from French surveillance, from surveiller ("to watch over"), from sur- ("over") + veiller ("to watch"), from Latin vigilare ("to be watchful") — the same root as "vigilant".

Built from conceal plus the noun-forming suffix -ment, tracing back to Old French concelement.

An alteration of the older Middle English word "secretee," from Old French "secré," ultimately from Latin "secretus."

From under + cover, in the sense of "hidden."

From Middle English "secretife," from "secret" plus "-ive."

From Latin clandestīnus ("secret, concealed").

From an Old English word related to "bury", though its ending was originally misread as a plural and reshaped into today's form.

From Old French paroisse, from Late Latin parochia, ultimately from Greek paroikia, "a dwelling in a foreign land."

Formed from vote plus the agent suffix -er.

A straightforward compound of brick and layer — someone who lays bricks.

A shortened, informal form of "granny," itself derived from "grandmother."

From store plus the noun suffix -age.

From "normal" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

From Middle English blaknen, formed from black plus the verb-forming suffix -en.

From Old English Grēnawīċ, literally "green harbour" or "green settlement."