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 ratio, "reckoning, calculation" — the same root as "ration" and "reason."

From French thermal, ultimately from Greek therme ("heat").

From Old English "dimm" ("dark, gloomy"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "dark".

From Middle English schyner, built from shine + -er.

From Latin progressio, from progredi, "to advance."

From Middle English wynnere, built from win plus the agent suffix -er.

From Latin "norma," meaning a carpenter's square or rule — something used to check that things are straight and standard.

From Latin magnitudo, "greatness", built from magnus, "great".

From Middle English "myteyne," borrowed from Old French "mitaine," of uncertain origin — possibly linked to a word for "cat" (playfully comparing the shape to a cat's paw) or to a Germanic word meaning "middle/half."

From Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa, meaning a raised wooden framework the Taíno people used for sleeping or curing meat.

From Old English munt, borrowed from Latin mons ("mountain, hill") — the same root gives us "eminent" and "mount" as in Mount Everest.

From the French phrase de Nîmes, "from Nîmes," the French town where the fabric was first made.

From Greek an- ("without") + aisthetikos ("able to feel") — describing something that removes feeling.

From squish + the adjective suffix -y.

From Portuguese/Spanish coco, "grinning face," so named because the three holes on a coconut shell look like a face.

From Anglo-Norman werreur, ultimately from Old French guerroiier ("to fight"), related to the word "war."

A direct compound of war and lord.

From Old English hyrnetu, from a Germanic root related to "horn" — the insect was named for its horn-like antennae.

Probably a blend of "melt" and "weld," describing things fusing together into one.

Borrowed directly from French liqueur; a doublet of liquor, meaning they both trace back to the same Latin root but entered English at different times.

From Medieval Latin cordialis ("of the heart"), from Latin cor ("heart") — originally a "cordial" was something believed to strengthen the heart.

Swahili · 1966

Coined in 1966 by activist Maulana Karenga from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," meaning "first fruits"; an extra "a" was added so the word would have seven letters, matching Kwanzaa's seven guiding principles.

From Latin aestuarium, "a tidal inlet," related to aestus, "tide" or "surge."

From Old French conestable, from Latin comes stabuli, literally "officer of the stables" — a title that gradually rose from stable-master to senior military and civic office.