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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A compound of lock + jaw, describing how the jaw muscles seize up.

A dialect pronunciation of "roil," originally meaning to stir up muddy water.

From Latin vapidus, "flat, having lost its flavor" — originally used of wine or drinks that had gone stale, from the same root as "vapor."

From Latin Perseus, from Ancient Greek Περσεύς (Perseús).

From stone (in the drug sense of being "stoned") plus the agent suffix -er.

From Old French façon, "shape, make, appearance," ultimately from Latin factio, "a making" — a doublet of "faction."

Formed from wire plus the suffix -y, describing something with the texture or leanness of wire.

Origin unknown; entered American English slang in the early 20th century.

From Latin attestari, "to bear witness to," from ad- ("to") plus testari ("to witness"), from testis ("a witness").

Borrowed from French brunette, the feminine form of brunet ("brownish"), itself from brun, "brown".

From Middle English cobeler, a word for a shoe-mender whose exact origin is lost; the verb "cobble" (to patch roughly) may actually have come later, from this word rather than the other way round.

From Old French exercise, from Latin exercitium, from exercere, "to keep busy, train."

Probably from Norman French cassette; a doublet of "cassette".

From Latin postis ("doorpost"), reaching English through Old English post and Old French post.

Formed from the verb "ice" (to cover with a sugar glaze) plus "-ing".

Borrowed from Telugu రెడ్డి (reḍḍi).

A diminutive of "Gerald" and related names, later applied as slang for Germans, possibly from the resemblance of German helmets to chamber pots.

Origin uncertain, likely imitative of the slapping sound itself.

From Old English openiende, the present-participle form of the verb open, built the same way as "reading" comes from "read."

From Spanish filipino, formed from the name Felipe, referring to Las Islas Filipinas ("the Philippine Islands") — named after King Philip II of Spain.

From Greek apatheia, "without suffering" — built from a- ("not") plus pathos ("feeling").

Borrowed directly from Latin "plūs", meaning "more".

From ill + the noun-forming suffix -ness.

From Italian duomo, ultimately from Latin domus ecclesiae, "house of the church" — the same root as "domestic."