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 "mini-" plus "skirt," coined to describe the short hemlines that became fashionable in the 1960s.

From Old English perwince, ultimately from Latin pervinca, the name of the flowering plant.

From "un-" + "limited."

Borrowed from French bac.

From Latin Babylonius, itself from the Greek form of "Babylon," plus the adjective ending "-ian."

From Old English roots meaning "to chatter", likely imitating the repetitive sounds of infant speech (compare "baby").

From Hebrew baal, meaning "lord, master, or owner", used as the name of the Canaanite god.

Borrowed from French baraque, itself from Spanish or Catalan barraca, of uncertain earlier origin.

From Latin nōtiō ("idea, concept"), from nōscō ("to know").

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

From "pork" plus "-y". The slang sense for a lie comes from Cockney rhyming slang: "pork pies" rhymes with "lies".

Thought to come from the old slang phrase "nelly duff," rhyming slang for "puff," meaning breath or life — later softened into a general term for a foolish or timid person.

From French tardif, going back to Latin tardus, meaning slow or sluggish.

Built from Middle English whiles ("while", used adverbially) plus an added -t sound, a pattern also seen in words like "amongst" and "amidst".

Originally the name of a legendary whirlpool off the coast of Norway, from Dutch maelstrom ("whirling stream"); popularized in English by Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 story "A Descent into the Maelström".

From "blue devils," an old term for low spirits or melancholy; the musical genre takes its name from the same mood.

From Old French sirop, from Medieval Latin syrupus, ultimately from Arabic sharab, "a drink" — the same root behind "sherbet" and "sorbet."

Cockney rhyming slang: "joanna" rhymes with a dialectal pronunciation of "piano."

From Middle French gorgias ("elegant, fashionable"), tied to Old French gorge ("throat/bosom") — the idea being someone who proudly puffs out their chest or throat, dressed to impress.

Formed from the verb "womanize" plus the agent suffix -er.

A compound of fuck and head, modeled on the similar insult dickhead.

A compound of fuck and face, used as a dysphemistic insult.

From Old English Bryċġstōw, literally "the place by the bridge," which evolved through Middle English Bristowe into the modern spelling.

A shortened, roundabout piece of Cockney rhyming slang: Aristotle rhymes with bottle, and "bottle and glass" rhymes with arse.