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 continent + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

c. 1600, "descend, sink, grow less or lower" (intransitive), from lower (adj.), comparative of low (adj.). Transitive meaning "let down, cause to descend" attested from 1650s. Related: Lowered; lowering. In the transitive sense "to cause to descend" the older verb was low. From Middle English lahghenn, (c. 1200), which continued in use into the 18c.

Coined in 1806 by French naturalist Georges Cuvier from Greek masto- ("breast") plus odon ("tooth"), describing the nipple-shaped bumps on the animal's molars.

Borrowed from Italian grappa; related to the English word "grape".

From Old French adultere, from Latin adulterium, from adulterare ("to corrupt, defile"). Despite the visual similarity, it is not related to "adult."

From Old English wandrian, "to roam or stray," built on a Germanic root meaning "to turn" — the same idea behind German wandern and Dutch wandelen.

From Old English "busc"/"bysc," tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root for "bush" or "thicket," itself related to a word meaning "to grow."

From Old French ignorance, from Latin ignorantia, from ignorare, "not to know."

From spite plus the adjective-forming suffix -ful.

From Old French envieus, from Latin invidiosus, related to "envy."

From Middle English mischevous, from Old French meschever ("to come to a bad end"), from mes- ("mis-") + chever ("to finish," from chef, "head").

From Latin mandatum ("a charge, order, commission"), from manus ("hand") + dare ("to put/give") — literally "put into someone's hands."

Originally described something full of "barm," the foam that forms on fermenting beer — the sense shifted from "frothy, bubbling" to "excitable" and eventually to "crazy."

From Italian granito, "granite," literally "grained," from grano, "grain," from Latin granum.

Likely an altered form of "bing," imitating the ringing sound of a bell; recorded as the name of the game since the 1920s.

From Old English wundorful, literally "full of wonder" — from wonder plus -ful.

From Late Latin phantasticus, "imaginary," ultimately from Ancient Greek phantasia, "imagination."

A phonetic respelling of "pretty" reflecting how the word is pronounced in some Southern US dialects.

From Latin mediātiō, from mediārī ("to intervene"), from medius ("middle").

Coined in 1948 by physicist Dennis Gabor from Greek holos ("whole") and gramma ("something written"); he later won the Nobel Prize for developing holography.

From nerd + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

A trademarked blend of "botulinum" and "toxin."

From beast + master, popularised by fantasy games and the 1982 film of the same name.

Shortened from "hamburger", itself named after Hamburg, Germany, with the word later mistakenly broken up into "ham" + "burger".