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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Spanish · 1570

Likely started as a cry sailors used while hauling or hoisting something heavy together, related to old words for "hoist" in Swedish and Spanish. First recorded in the 1570s.

From Old French merveillus, from merveille ("a wonder") — the same root as "marvel."

Late Latin · 1547

First recorded in English in 1547, from Late Latin stupendus ("amazing"), from the verb stupeo, "I am stunned" — the same root that gives us stupor and stupid.

From Old French entree, the feminine past participle of entrer, "to enter," ultimately from Latin intrare.

From Old French mulet, ultimately from Latin mullus ("red mullet"), from a Greek word for the same fish.

Borrowed from French atelier, originally referring to a workshop where splinters of wood were used, from astelle ("small piece of wood").

From Greek spasmos, "convulsion," from spao, "to pull or draw out" — the muscle is being yanked tight involuntarily.

Borrowed directly from Latin interim, meaning "meanwhile."

From Old French faculte, from Latin facultas ("ability, skill"), related to facilis, "easy" — the same root that gives us "facility."

From Medieval Latin cōnferentia, ultimately from Latin cōnferō, "to bring together" — related to "confer."

A straightforward compound of room and mate, first used for people who shared living quarters, such as students or soldiers.

From obsolete French rendition, shaped by "render"; its legal sense developed alongside that word.

From Middle French figuratif, ultimately tied to the Latin root for "figure" or "shape."

Likely from "gull" ("to trick, dupe") plus the adjective suffix "-ible."

From Old English utlaga, "outlaw," borrowed from Old Norse utlagi — someone put "outside the law." Same out- root as outside and outward.

From Old French laitues (plural of laitue), from Latin lactuca, from lac, "milk" — a reference to the milky sap in the plant's stem.

A variant of the older word "lea," meaning open grassland or meadow.

From "rip" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From German baum, meaning "tree".

From "sleep" plus "over," describing staying over for the night.

An anglicised version of Irish Ó hUiginn (“descendant of a Viking”).

From Middle English wayknesse, weykenesse, replacing earlier Middle English wocnesse, wakenes, wacnesse (“weakness”), from Old English wācnes (“weakness”). Equivalent to weak + -ness.

From Italian confetti, "confections" — originally referring to sugar-coated almonds thrown at Carnival, later replaced by paper.

From Middle English fischynge, from fish plus -ing.