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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Named after the Jura Mountains in France and Switzerland, where rock layers from this period were first studied.

From Middle English upper, formed as up + the comparative suffix -er.

From an East Anglian dialect word cliver, meaning "expert at seizing," likely linked to a root meaning "to grip" or "cling" — connected distantly to "cleave."

From Middle English souker, from suck plus the agent suffix -er.

First recorded in the 1500s; its exact origin is unclear, though some scholars think it may be a playful reshaping of the older word "wandreth," meaning trouble or hardship.

From Late Latin dilemma, from Greek dilemma, "double proposition" — from di-, "two," plus lemma, "premise."

From hover + -craft; originally a trademark of the British company Saunders-Roe.

Likely an alteration of stripe, or from a Middle Low German word of uncertain origin.

From Old English lilie, from Latin līlium, from Greek leírion.

From Greek hyakinthos, the name of a flower connected to a mythical youth loved by Apollo; the name later passed through Latin and French before settling into English.

From Old English huniġsūce, "honey" + "suck", referring to the sweet nectar that can be sucked from the flowers.

A Scots and Northern English word, from Middle English outwith — essentially a rearranged form of "without" in its old sense of "outside of."

From Greek geranion, from geranos ("crane"), because the plant's seed pod resembles a crane's long beak.

From French équitable, from équité ("equity, fairness").

Origin uncertain — possibly from a dialectal English word meaning "to drag or lug," or from the personal name Laurie. First recorded in the 19th century.

From Jamaican Creole, possibly a blend of split and whiff.

From Latin insultare, "to leap or spring upon; to taunt," the frequentative form of insilire ("to leap upon"), from in- + salire ("to jump").

From Old French regal, from Latin regalis, "royal, kingly," from rex, "king." It shares this Latin root with royal and real (the currency unit).

Named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, whose name comes from a Munsee (Lenape) word meaning roughly "at the big river flat."

From a French rendering of an Algonquian name for the Wisconsin River, of uncertain exact meaning.

Named after George Washington, whose surname came from an English town, Washington in Tyne and Wear, itself from an Old English place name meaning roughly "the settlement of Hwæssa's people."

From French vert mont, "green mountain," referring to the Green Mountains that run through the state.

Borrowed from Spanish Yuta, from a Pueblo or Apache word, related to the name of the Ute people.

From Cherokee ᏔᎾᏏ (tanasi), believed to mean “winding river”.