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 pēnsiō ("payment, rent"), from pendō ("to weigh, pay").

From Latin fragilis, from frangere ("to break") — a doublet of "frail."

From Anglo-Norman empecher, from Latin impedicare, "to fetter, entangle" — related to the French empecher, "to prevent".

A compound of rose and wood, named for the rose-like scent of the freshly cut timber.

From Russian Iván, a Slavic form of the same root that gives English "John," "Ian," "Sean," and "Giovanni."

From Old English gār, "spear," and feld, "field."

A shortening of "Gatling gun", named after its inventor Richard Gatling, later applied loosely to any pistol.

Named after the Bosna River, which runs through the region.

From New Latin instantaneus, built on the same Latin root as instant.

From Old English grǣdig, related to Gothic gredags ("hungry") — the underlying idea is a Proto-Germanic root for hunger.

From rough plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Latin aquaeductus, "conveyance of water," from aqua, "water," and ducere, "to lead."

From French réservoir, "storehouse", from réserver, "to reserve, keep".

From resent plus the adjective ending -ful.

From re- + hash, literally "to chop up again."

From concern plus -ing; the preposition and adjective both grew out of the verb's meaning.

By surface analysis, regard + -ing.

Formed from "race" plus the adjective suffix "-ial."

From encephal- ("brain") plus -itis ("inflammation").

A direct borrowing from Latin rabiēs, meaning "madness" or "fury" — the same root behind the everyday word "rage."

A 1937 shortening of "logogram" or "logotype."

From Latin rabidus, related to rabiō ("to rave" or "to rage").

Built from "slug" (a lazy person) plus the adjective ending "-ish," meaning "characteristic of a slug."

From Latin squalor, "filthiness," from the same root as "squalid."