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 probativus, "belonging to proof," from probare, "to test or prove."

From Old French emploiier, "to make use of," ultimately from Latin implicare, "to involve" or "engage" — the same root as "imply."

From gravity + -on, coined by Soviet physicists in 1934 and later reintroduced by Paul Dirac in 1959.

Italian · 1933

Coined in 1933 by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, combining "neutron" with the Italian diminutive ending -ino, meaning roughly "little neutral one."

Named after the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, whose work on particle statistics inspired the term; coined by physicist Paul Dirac in 1945.

electromagnetism

From electro- ("electricity") plus magnetism, reflecting the 19th-century discovery that the two forces are really one.

electromagnetic

From electro- ("electric") plus magnetic, describing the single force that unites electricity and magnetism.

From Middle French neutral, from Latin neutralis, itself built from neuter plus -alis.

From Latin negativus, "that denies," from negare, "to deny" — the root behind negate.

From Latin permanens, from permanere ("to stay through, endure").

From Latin inseparabilis — in- ("not") plus separabilis ("separable").

From Middle French indivisible, from Late Latin indivisibilis, built from in- (\"not\") plus divisible.

From "book" plus the diminutive suffix "-let," meaning a small version of a book.

From Latin textus, "the style or texture of a piece of writing", literally "something woven", from texere, "to weave" — the same root gives us "texture".

From Latin item, "also, likewise," originally used to introduce each new entry in a list — the word itself later became the name for each entry.

From Latin collectio, from colligere, "to gather together".

From Latin inclusio, from includere, "to enclose" — see include.

Rumpelstiltskin

From German Rumpelstilzchen; the exact origin of the name is debated, but "rumpel" evokes a rattling, clattering goblin.

From Medieval Latin intrūsiō, from Latin intrūdō, "to thrust in."

From Latin clavicula, "little key" — the bone was thought to resemble an ancient key.

Borrowed from Latin humerus, meaning "shoulder" or "upper arm."

From Latin carpus, borrowed from Greek karpos, meaning "wrist."

From Latin mores, "customs, character," the plural of mos.

From Latin magus, from Greek mágos, ultimately from an Old Persian word for a Zoroastrian priest.