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

A casual variant of "yeah", said with the lips snapping shut on the final sound — the same pattern that produced "nope" from "no".

The stage-direction word "manet" ("he/she remains") comes from Latin manere ("to remain"); the painter's surname is a separate, unrelated French family name.

From Old French hostilité, from Latin hostilitas, built on hostis, "enemy."

From Old French faide, ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "hatred, enmity" — related to the word foe.

From Anglo-Norman valour, from Latin valor, related to valere, "to be strong".

Old English · 1900

From Old English wēod ("weed"), of Germanic origin; the marijuana slang sense is a 20th-century extension of the plain "unwanted plant" meaning.

From Middle English vouchen via Anglo-Norman and Old French vocher, ultimately from Latin vocare, "to call, summon."

From Old French transplanter, from Late Latin transplantare — trans- ("across") plus plantare ("to plant").

From Old English tapor, an early word for a candle or wick, whose exact origin remains uncertain, though some link it to Latin papyrus.

From Medieval Latin feodalis, from feudum ("fief, estate held in service"), related to the word fee.

A blend of laundry and automatic, originally a 1940s trademark of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

An emphatic variant of "no," formed by closing the lips into a final "p" sound — the same pattern seen in "yep" and "yup."

From Old English clam ("bond, grip"), related to a word meaning to press or squeeze together — the shellfish sense comes from how tightly its shell clamps shut.

From Ancient Greek amnesia, "forgetfulness", built from the negative prefix a- ("not") plus a root related to mimneskein, "to remember".

From "intense" + the verb-forming suffix "-ify," meaning "to make."

From Old English ġeōl ("Christmas, Yule"), related to or borrowed from Old Norse jól, going back to a shared Germanic root for the midwinter festival.

From Old English ġeoguþ, formed from the same root as young plus an abstract noun ending, so it originally just meant "the state of being young."

From Old English wrīþan, "to twist or turn" — a close relative of "wreathe" and "wrist".

From Old English wrǣþ, meaning "something twisted or coiled" — a close relative of "writhe".

From Old English weorþ, meaning "valuable" or "worthy" — the same root behind "worthy" and "worship."

From Old English witleas, formed from wit plus the suffix -less.

A compound of whirl and wind, describing wind that spins in place rather than blowing in a straight line.

From Middle English whesen, possibly from an Old Norse word meaning "to hiss," tracing back to a root meaning "to pant."

From whale plus the agent suffix -er.