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 disrumpere, "to break apart," from dis- ("apart") + rumpere ("to break") — the same root gives us "rupture."

From New Latin frontālis, based on Latin frons ("forehead, front").

From Latin involvere, "to roll into, wrap up, or envelop" (in- + volvere, "to roll").

From Greek perimetros, from peri- ("around") + metron ("measure").

A shortened, informal variant of "goodbye," ultimately from "God be with you."

From Latin institutio, "arrangement, custom," from instituere ("to set up") — equivalent to institute + -ion.

From Latin emporium, "trading center," from Greek emporion, from emporos, "merchant" or "traveller."

Probably from French motte.

From Latin terminatus, past participle of terminare, "to set bounds to, end," from terminus, "a limit."

Named after the Belgian town of Spa, famous since medieval times for its mineral springs; English adopted the word as a generic term for any similar health resort starting in the 1500s-1600s.

From terminate + -or; the "killer android" sense is a direct reference to the 1984 film The Terminator.

Sanskrit · 1871

Borrowed from Sanskrit svastika, built from su- ("good") and asti ("is"), together meaning roughly "a good-luck charm." The word entered English in 1871. From the 1930s it became strongly tied to the symbol used by the Nazi party (also called the Hakenkreuz, or "hooked cross").

From an older English word meaning "to embrace," likely blending a word for crouching close with an Old Norse word meaning "to comfort" — ultimately tied to a root meaning "mind" or "thought."

From Anglo-Norman transe ("fear of coming evil, passage from life to death"), from transir ("to be numb with fear, to pass on"), from Latin trānseō, "to cross over."

Formed from propionic acid plus the chemical suffix -ane; propionic in turn comes from Greek prō- plus píōn ("fat").

From Latin capacitas, from capax ("able to hold much"), from capere ("to take, hold, seize") — the same root behind "capable" and "capture."

From Late Latin specificus, "particular," from Latin species, "kind," plus -ficus, "making."

From particular + -ly.

From "especial" plus the adverb suffix -ly — "especial" itself traces back to Latin specialis, "of a particular kind."

Formed from "chief" plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Middle English maynly, from main + -ly.

From Medieval Latin diaetarium, "a book prescribing diet," based on Latin diaeta, "diet."

Formed from "most" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly".

From Latin syrinx, "reed, pipe," borrowed from Ancient Greek surinx.