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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From Middle English despeyringe, equivalent to despair + -ing.

From hood plus the informal suffix -ie, as in other casual nouns for people or things (compare "townie").

From "puss" (a pet name for a cat) plus the diminutive suffix "-y."

An acronym for "mother I'd like to..." (with a crude verb), first recorded among American college students in the early 1990s and popularised by the film American Pie (1999).

From Old English sweordfisc, literally "sword" + "fish," named for its long, blade-like snout.

From Old English clyppan, "to embrace or clasp" — the "cut" sense developed later, from the idea of gripping something to trim it.

Probably an altered spelling of German Buchs or a patronymic form of Buck.

From the place name Moray in northeastern Scotland, ultimately from Proto-Celtic mori ("sea") and treba ("settlement").

From Old English sunnig, formed from sun plus the adjective ending -y.

From "bun", an old dialect word for a rabbit, plus the affectionate "-y" ending also seen in "doggy" or "kitty".

From sea + gull.

From Latin intrōductiō, from intrōdūcō ("to lead in").

From "bed" (a foundational layer) plus "rock."

From an earlier word "gauntree," possibly from a dialect word for "gallon" plus "tree" (as in a wooden frame).

The device sense comes from light ("to ignite") + -er; the boat sense comes from a separate root meaning "to unload" or lighten a ship's cargo.

From Middle English pichfork, formed from pitch (in the sense "to throw or toss") + fork.

American slang from around 1961; likely started as a softened, joking stand-in for a cruder word, later settling into its modern meaning of "lovable nerd."

From Old English sengan ("to singe, scorch"), from an old Germanic root meaning "to burn."

From "bore" + "-dom," following the pattern of words like "freedom" and "wisdom."

From "bore" + "-ing."

From "bore" (the verb) + "-ed."

A blend of "motor" and "hotel", coined for the Motel Inn built in San Luis Obispo, California in 1925.

From Old French desperer, from Latin desperare, "to lose hope" — from de- + sperare ("to hope"). Related to "desperate."

From Medieval Latin desca, from Italian desco, ultimately from Latin discus ("disc, dish") — the same root behind "dish," "disc," and "dais."