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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 Dutch or Low German snappen ("to bite, seize"), likely echoing the sharp sound of something breaking.

From an earlier sense meaning a stump or sharp projecting branch, borrowed from Old Norse snagi ("clothes peg"), later extended to any sharp obstacle.

From Old English "smæċċ," meaning taste or flavor, related to a Germanic root for "to taste" — the "hit" and "kiss" senses developed later from the sharp sound involved.

From Old Norse "slœgr," meaning cunning or crafty, literally "capable of striking" — related to the English word "sleight," as in "sleight of hand."

Origin uncertain, possibly linked to an Old Norse word for a lazy person.

From Middle English "sliver," related to an Old English verb meaning "to split or cleave."

From Old English slīm, an ancient Germanic word related to Latin limus, "mud" — both trace back to a root meaning "smooth, sticky."

From Old English sliht, "smooth, level," related to "slick" — the sense shifted over time to mean "insignificant" and then "slender."

From Old French esclice, "a piece split off," tracing back to a Germanic root meaning "to split, tear apart."

From Old Norse slœgð, "cunning" — the same root that gave English "sly."

From Dutch slee, ultimately from the same Germanic root as "sled" and "slide" — sleighs and sleds are close cousins.

A later spelling variant of "slick," sharing roots with German schleichen ("to creep, glide").

From Middle Dutch sledde, going back to a Germanic root shared with "sleigh" and "slide" — all describing something that moves by gliding rather than rolling.

From Old English slaga, related to the verb slay plus the agent suffix -er.

From Middle English sclater, formed from slate plus -er.

From slap plus -er; the derogatory sense may derive from Yiddish "schlepper," meaning a slovenly person.

From Middle English slappen, probably imitative of the sound itself.

From an unrecorded Middle English word likely borrowed from Old Norse slæma ("to strike, swing a weapon"), related to Scandinavian words for banging or clattering.

Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, related to a Germanic root for "to strike" — originally referring to metal splinters knocked off during hammering.

From Old English slæc ("slack, lazy"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning loose or slow.

Likely of North Germanic origin, related to a root meaning "to mock" or "to gesture," though the modern "save/scrimp" sense developed separately.

From Dutch schaats, ultimately from an Old French word for a stilt, related to a Germanic root meaning "to shake" or "to move quickly."

From Latin situs, "position, place," via Anglo-Norman and Middle English.

From Middle English symply, symplely; equivalent to simple + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology.