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 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.

From Old English popig, ultimately from Latin papaver ("poppy"). The remembrance symbol dates to World War I, popularised by American humanitarian Moina Michael after she was moved by the poem "In Flanders Fields".

From Middle English forms related to Old French "escumer," meaning "to remove scum," from a Germanic root for "foam."

From Old English heardlīċe, built from hard + -ly; it originally meant "boldly" or "without ease" before narrowing to today's sense of "barely."

From Middle French flenchir ("to bend"), of Germanic origin.

A reshuffling of "burnsides", named after the American Civil War general Ambrose Burnside, who was known for his distinctive facial hair.

From Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre, "to bear, endure," from sub- ("under") plus ferre ("to carry").

A compound of "child" and "birth," likely echoing a similar Old Norse phrase meaning "bairn birth."

From Latin podium, from Greek podion, "little foot," a diminutive of pous, "foot."

From Old English fæstnian, "to make firm" — built from the same root as "fast" in its old sense of "firm, secure."

From Latin mōtor ("mover"), from movēre ("to move").

First recorded around the mid-1600s; the exact origin is debated, with theories tracing it to Caribbean slang words like "rumbullion."

Scottish Gaelic

Origin uncertain — possibly borrowed from an Irish or Scottish Gaelic word for a block or stubborn person, or from a Hindustani/Romani word meaning "person."

From Middle French grade, from Latin gradus ("a step, degree"), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to walk" or "to step."

From Italian fuga, "flight," from Latin fugiō, "to flee" — the musical sense comes from one melodic line seeming to "flee" ahead of the others.

A shortened form of "how-d'ye-do," itself from "how do you do."

A compound of bride and maid. The figurative "always second place" sense comes from the saying "always a bridesmaid, never a bride".

Simply "greet" plus the ending "-ing," turning the verb into a noun.

From under- plus sea.

From Old French promesse, from Latin prōmissum, from prōmittō ("to send forth, to say beforehand"), from pro- ("forth") plus mittere ("to send") — the same root behind mission, admit, and permit.

From Old English titul, from Latin titulus, "inscription, heading" — a relative of "tilde" and "tittle."

From Old French, from Late Latin prōtēctiō, "a covering over," built on the same root as protect.

From Middle French social, from Latin socialis ("of companionship"), from socius ("companion, ally").