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 adult + -hood.

A combination of "world" and "-wide."

Borrowed from French scientifique, from Medieval Latin scientificus, "pertaining to science."

From inter- ("between") plus national; the word was introduced into English by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1780.

From Old French mineral, going back to a Medieval Latin word for ore, ultimately from Latin mina, "ore."

From Greek amygdale, "almond," borrowed via Latin — named for the structure’s almond-like shape.

From bewitch plus -ing.

A compound of fresh and man, originally referring to a newcomer.

Medieval Latin · 800

From the name of the ninth-century Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi, via Medieval Latin algorismus.

Borrowed from Tamil மதுரை (maturai), from Old Tamil 𑀫𑀢𑀼𑀭𑁃 (maturai).

Borrowed from French quiche, itself from a German dialect word for "cake," tracing back to the same root as the English word "cookie."

From an earlier sense of splat meaning "to spread flat," related to Middle English splatten, "to stretch out or split."

From Old French evidence, from Latin evidentia ("clearness, proof"), related to evidens, "evident."

From French maki, borrowed from Malagasy maky.

From Pennsylvania German dunke, tracing back to Old High German dunkōn, "to dip" — the same root family that gave English "tint" and "tincture."

From the pronunciation of the phrase "I owe you," first recorded in this shorthand form in the early 17th century.

Traces back through French camarade to Spanish and Italian words meaning "chamber mate" — someone who shared a room, especially soldiers billeted together.

From toss plus the agent suffix -er; the insult sense comes from toss's slang meaning "to masturbate."

From French bonbon, a childish doubling of bon, "good" — literally "good-good."

The Latin plural of alumnus, "foster son" or "pupil."

Borrowed from Latin rīdiculus (\"laughable\"); formed from ridicule plus -ous.

Origin uncertain; the word rose in African-American slang, possibly linked to gyve ("shackle") or a West African source meaning idle talk.

From Latin inertia, "lack of skill, inactivity," from iners — in- + ars, "skill." The physics sense was introduced by the astronomer Johannes Kepler.

As a name, a nickname for Ernest; as the UK savings-bond computer, an acronym for "Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment."