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 Greek khamaileon, literally "ground lion" (khamai, "on the ground" + leon, "lion") — an ancient name for the low-crawling reptile.

A straightforward compound of clothes plus line.

From Hawaiian mahalo.

Borrowed from Middle French directeur, from Late Latin dīrēctōrem.

From Old French fisicien, from fisique ("the art of healing"), ultimately from Greek phusike ("knowledge of nature").

From Latin veterinarius, "of cattle or draught animals", ultimately connected to vehere, "to carry" — reflecting the word's roots in caring for working animals.

From Latin dissecare, "to cut apart," from dis- ("apart") + secare ("to cut") — related to "section."

From Greek eu- ("good") + thanatos ("death") — literally "a good death," first recorded in English in 1606.

From Middle French prélude, from Medieval Latin preludium, ultimately from Latin praeludere ("to play beforehand").

From Latin satelles, meaning "attendant" or "bodyguard" — the modern space-age sense was a much later extension of the idea of something that follows and accompanies a larger body.

From Middle English tho, tha, from Old English þā (“the, those”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *þai, from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”), from Proto-Indo-European *to-, *só (“that”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian do (“the”, plural). Doublet of they.

From Latin torpedo, originally the name of the electric ray (a fish that delivers a stunning shock) and related to torpere, "to be numb or sluggish." The military sense — a self-propelled underwater weapon — was coined by the inventor Robert Fulton in 1805.

Formed by adding the regular superlative ending "-est" onto "best," which is already a superlative — a playful double intensifier.

From Old English grindere, formed from grind plus the agent suffix "-er" — simply "one who grinds."

From Latin adolescens, the present participle of adolescere ("to grow up"), from ad- ("toward") + alescere ("to be nourished, grow").

From "flat" + "mate."

The slang senses are thought to be imitative (echoing the sound of a solid hit), unrelated to Wang as a common Chinese and Korean surname.

From Latin instinctus, "impulse, instigation" — from instinguere, "to incite or spur on."

From Old French fraude, from Latin fraus, "deceit, injury."

From Old French galant, related to a word meaning "to make merry" — the sense shifted over time from "showy, festive" to "brave" and "chivalrous."

A straightforward compound of "date" and "line" — literally the line that gives the date (and place).

Unclear; possibly an alteration of English diddle. Compare the use as an expressive nonsense syllable in often sexual songs and the spelling dil doul, found in e.g. The Maids Complaint for want of a Dil Doul, a song in the library of Samuel Pepys. Unlikely to be related to Italian diletto (“delight”) or Latin dīlātō (“to open up, spread”), often cited etymologies.

From Latin Pȳrēnaeī (montēs), from Ancient Greek Πυρηναῖος, after Pyrene, a mythological figure said to be buried in the mountains.

Named after the small glass tumbler the drink is served in, which some baristas nicknamed after the Rock of Gibraltar; the territory itself takes its name from Arabic "Jabal Tariq", meaning "Mount Tariq".