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 childlike softening of "stomach," via the older colloquial form "stummy" — the same kind of playful shortening seen in words like "pasghetti" for spaghetti.

From Lakota Lakȟóta, meaning "alliance of friends".

A straightforward compound of clip and board.

From Latin docilis, "easily taught," from docere, "to teach" — the same root as "doctor" and "doctrine."

From Old French glu, from Late Latin glus, tracing back to Latin gluten — the same root that gives us the word "gluten."

From French génie, itself shaped to resemble Latin genius while translating Arabic jinnī.

From Greek kalligraphia, literally "beautiful writing," from kallos ("beauty") and graphein ("to write").

From assassin plus the suffix -ate, following the pattern of French assassiner.

From Late Latin "transiens," present participle of "transire" ("to pass over").

From Old English lætra, the comparative of læt ("late").

From Old French multitude, from Latin multitudo, from multus ("many, much").

From Old English hōd, related to German Hut ("hat") — all ultimately from a root meaning "to cover."

From enjoy + -ment.

From Latin "pax" ("peace") and "facere" ("to make") — literally "to make peace."

From please + -ing.

From Old French verifier, from Medieval Latin verificare, "to make true" (verus + facere).

From Middle French harmonieux, built on harmony plus -ous.

From Latin placatus, "calmed, appeased," related to placere, "to please."

From Old English sothian, "to prove true, confirm" — related to "sooth" (truth). The sense shifted over centuries from "confirm what someone says" to "comfort them," as agreeing with someone naturally calms them down.

From soothe + the adjective-forming ending -ing.

From Old French atendance, related to attend.

From "tom" (short for Thomas) plus "boy." First recorded in the mid-1500s describing a boisterous girl, though early citations are ambiguous; the modern meaning was established by the late 1500s.

From Old English "slūma," related to a Germanic root meaning "slack" or "loose," describing the relaxed state of sleep.

From "fog" plus the adjective ending "-y."