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 plantago, related to planta, "sole of the foot," because of the plant's broad, flat leaves. The banana-like fruit is a separate, unrelated plant that happens to share the English name via Spanish.

From Middle French reparer, from Latin reparare, "to make ready again," from re- plus parare, "to prepare."

Likely from Spanish Alibamo, from the Alabama people's own name Albaamo for themselves — the same word later became the name of the U.S. state.

From Old English grēot, meaning coarse sand or gravel — the figurative sense of "toughness" or "courage" developed much later, likening a person's resolve to something hard and unyielding.

A clipped, phonetic respelling of "GTMO," the military abbreviation for Guantanamo.

A short form of "allosexual" or "alloromantic," built with the Greek prefix allo- meaning "other."

Borrowed directly from French répondez s'il vous plaît, "please reply."

A shortened form of "baby boomer," referring to the surge in births following the Second World War.

Coined in the early 20th century, possibly a blend of Cherie or Cherry and Beryl. (See cher for the etymology of Cherie.)

Transferred from a rare Scottish surname derived from a place name, of unknown meaning. Later interpreted as a variant of Earl in the U.S.

From Hindu + -ism.

From French diplomatie, ultimately from Latin diploma, originally meaning an official letter or license.

From imperial + the suffix -ism.

From French libéralisme (around 1818), built from liberal plus the suffix -ism.

From Greek aristokratia, "rule of the best," from aristos ("best") + kratos ("power, rule").

From Old English wealdan ("to rule, control"), from a Germanic root meaning "to rule" — related to the older sense of the word "wield" as "to govern".

Formed from state, a connecting -s-, and man, modeled on the French phrase homme d'État.

From Middle English thinkere, equivalent to think + -er. Compare West Frisian tinker (“thinker”), Dutch denker (“thinker”), German Denker (“thinker”), Danish tænker (“thinker”), Swedish tänkare (“thinker”).

From Middle French "transition," from Latin "transitio," built from "transit" plus "-ion."

From Old English roots, formed from deaf plus the suffix -ness.

From tuck + -er. The Australian sense meaning "food" likely developed from the idea of "tucking in" to a meal.

Scottish Gaelic

Borrowed from Irish go leor and Scottish Gaelic gu leòr, meaning "enough" or "plenty."

The comparative form of low, formed with the suffix -er.

From Latin occurrere, "to run to meet, present itself", from ob- ("against") plus currere ("to run").