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 Old French fantasie, ultimately from Ancient Greek phantasia, "imagination" — a doublet of "fancy" and "fantasia."

From Latin initiatus, past participle of initiare, "to begin or induct," from initium, "a beginning."

First recorded in the 1530s for the bird; the origin is uncertain, possibly linked to French or Latin words for "crane" or simply imitating the bird's call. The complaining sense developed later from the noun.

From Latin genius ("a person's guardian spirit; innate character"), from gignere ("to beget") — the meaning shifted over centuries from "guiding spirit" to "outstanding natural talent".

Formed from commit + -ment.

From Old French excellence, from Latin excellentia, built on excellere (see "excel").

Borrowed from French computer, from Latin computare, "to calculate." A doublet of "count."

From Middle English forms of "give" plus the agent suffix -er.

From Old English wyrgan, meaning "to strangle" — the sense softened over centuries from physical choking to mental "strangling" anxiety.

A back-formation from "donation," ultimately from Latin donare, "to give," from donum, "a gift."

A Latinized form of the French Henriette, itself derived from Henri (Henry).

From Old English herġian, "to ravage or raid," ultimately from a Germanic word for "army."

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

From play + ground, echoing the older Old English pleġstede ("play-place").

From Old French populaire and Latin popularis, both ultimately from populus ("people").

From Old English āgan, "to own" or "possess" — the same root that gave us "own" and "ought."

From Old French innocent, based on Latin innocens, literally "not harming" — in- ("not") plus nocens ("harming"), from the verb nocere, "to hurt."

From "fledge" ("to grow feathers needed for flight") + the diminutive suffix "-ling."

From Spanish sala, ultimately from a Germanic word for "hall" — related to English "salon" and "saloon."

Origin uncertain, likely from an earlier English word for the rush of waves onto shore. The "browsing the internet" sense was popularized in the 1990s by librarian Jean Armour Polly.

A straightforward compound of "surf" + "board".

A learned borrowing via Hindi from Sanskrit saṃskṛta, meaning "refined" or "perfected" — describing it as a polished, cultivated language.

From "move" plus "-ing."

Borrowed from Hindi/Urdu chatni.