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 Middle French indulgence, from Latin indulgentia.

From Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Proto-Germanic *Wiljahelmaz (> Latin Gulielmus), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô (“will”) + *helmaz (“helmet”), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European roots *welh₁- (“to choose, wish, want”) and *ḱel- (“to cover, conceal, save”) respectively. Cognate with Dutch Willem, German Wilhelm, etc.; cognate borrowings outside of Germanic include Guillaume and Guillermo.

From "radioactive" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ity".

Coined by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898 as the French radio-actif, from "radio-" plus "active".

From Greek iso- ("same") plus -tope ("place"), because isotopes occupy the same position in the periodic table. Coined in 1913 by chemist Frederick Soddy, building on a suggestion by physician Margaret Todd in 1909.

Named after Uziel Gal, the Israeli army officer who designed the weapon.

From Latin vaccinus, "of a cow," from vacca ("cow"). Edward Jenner coined the related Latin term variolae vaccinae ("cowpox") in the late 1700s, after using cowpox material to protect people against smallpox.

From Old French jornel ("daily"), ultimately from Latin diurnus ("of the day") — the same root as "diurnal".

From Old French casuel, from Latin casualis, "happening by chance," from casus, "an event" — the same root as "case" and "cadence."

From Old English cȳpe ("basket, cask"), likely related to Dutch and Low German words for a cask or container — the sense narrowed over time to mean a pen for animals.

Borrowed from Hindi/Urdu qulī ("hired laborer"), itself possibly traceable to Ottoman Turkish or a Gujarati tribal name; the word spread through European colonial trade to describe indentured Asian laborers.

From Latin eulogium, ultimately tracing to Greek eu- (\"good\") + logia (\"words, speaking\") — literally \"good words.\"

From Latin aura ("breeze, breath of air"), from Greek aúra. The slang "vibe/charisma" meaning is very recent, spreading through TikTok around 2024.

A shortened, informal form of "vibration."

From German Dresden, ultimately from a Slavic word describing a settlement in a marshy forest.

From Latin "tolerātus," the past participle of "tolerō" ("to endure") — related to Old English "þolian" ("to suffer, bear").

From Latin intimatus, from intimus, "innermost," the superlative of intus, "within."

From Latin extendere, "to stretch out" — from ex- ("out") plus tendere ("to stretch").

From "cabin" plus the diminutive suffix "-et," shaped by the similar French word cabinet; the political sense grew from "a small private room" where advisors met, much like "salon" took its name from a meeting room.

From Latin fūtilitās ("worthlessness"); by form, it reads as futile + -ity.

From Middle French futile, from Latin fūtilis, "leaky, worthless."

From Middle French bragard ("bragging, showy, vain"), from braguer ("to boast").

From "blow hard," in the sense of boasting or bragging loudly.

From "valid" + the noun-forming suffix "-ity".