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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Yiddish · 1990

Popularized by The Simpsons in the 1990s, though it may ultimately trace back to a similar Yiddish expression of indifference.

Named after Cheddar, a village in Somerset, England, where the cheese was first made.

From Latin viola, "violet."

Borrowed from Italian gondola, via the Venetian dialect, possibly ultimately from a Byzantine Greek word for a type of small ship.

From Latin equester, "of horsemen," from equus ("horse").

Came into English through Old French Olivier, ultimately linked to the Old Norse name Óleifr — the same root that gives us "Olaf."

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh, composed of donn ("brown") + cath ("battle").

From Middle English kynrede, built on "kin" plus a suffix meaning "condition or state" — the same pattern seen in "hatred."

From Latin ēvertere, "to overturn or turn inside out," from ē- ("out") + vertere ("to turn").

Probably a variation of "slug," in the sense of hitting hard, or possibly related to "slough" (a muddy bog one must trudge through).

Named after Mabel Flasher.

From Old English fostor, "food, nourishment" — the idea of feeding and raising broadened into the modern sense of caring for someone.

From Hebrew "Elisheva," from "el" (God) and "shava" (oath).

Popularized by the 1990s television show Xena: Warrior Princess; the name itself is likely a variant of Xenia, from Greek xenía, "hospitable."

Formed from priority plus -ize; first recorded in American government jargon around 1967, and long criticized by usage purists as bureaucratic.

From Latin uncia, meaning "a twelfth part," which also gave English the word "inch."

Late Latin · 1659

From Scots powny, ultimately from Late Latin pullanus, "young animal," related to pullus. First recorded in English in 1659.

Origin unknown.

From Latin spectaculum, "a show or sight," from specio, "to look at."

From Old French sorcerie, ultimately from Latin sors ("fate, lot") — the same root behind "sorcerer."

From Old English þancful, "grateful" — thank plus the suffix -ful.

Coined in German in the 1890s as Heroin, originally a brand name, built from Greek hḗrōs ("hero") plus the chemical suffix "-in." It was marketed as a supposedly "heroic," powerful cure for coughs and pain before its addictiveness became clear.

From Latin hērōīna, from Greek hērōḯnē, the feminine form of hḗrōs ("hero").

From Old English rōþor, "oar, rudder," ultimately from a root meaning "to row" — a rudder was originally just a steering oar.