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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Named after Étienne de Silhouette, an 18th-century French finance minister known for his stinginess — cut-out black-outline portraits were a cheap alternative to painted ones, and the joke stuck.

From Middle English sighen, related to Old English sīcan, ultimately from a root meaning "to breathe out".

From Spanish siesta, going back to Latin sexta (hora), "the sixth hour" (counted from dawn) — that is, midday.

From Old English sceoh, "timid, easily frightened."

From Old English scrud, related to Old Norse skrúð ("ship's rigging" or "splendid attire").

From Old English screade ("a piece cut off"), related to Proto-Germanic roots meaning "to cut."

From Old English sċortlīċe, from short + -ly.

From Middle English shouten, of uncertain origin, possibly related to "shoot" or an Old Norse word for taunting.

From shop + keeper.

From short + hand, in the sense of "handwriting" or "style of penmanship".

From Old English sċell, an ancient Germanic word meaning "shell" or "husk," related to modern "shale" and "scale."

From Old English sċǣre, "pure, clear, shining" — related to an old word family meaning "bright" rather than to "shear."

From Old English sċīene, "bright, beautiful," related to modern "show."

From Middle English schaver, "one who shaves," from shave plus -er.

"Shake" plus "-y".

From "shake" plus the agent-forming ending "-er".

Origin uncertain; possibly from Mexican Spanish jacal, itself from a Nahuatl word for an adobe hut.

From the old word shab, meaning a skin disease or scabby crust, plus the suffix -y.

Possibly from settle ("a long bench") plus the diminutive suffix -ee; the exact origin is uncertain.

Formed from the phrase "set back," describing something that pushes progress backward.

From serve + -er, "one who serves."

From Old French servir, from Latin servire ("to serve"), related to servus ("slave; servant").

From Latin sequentia plus the suffix "-al."

Recorded from 1555, from Latin segregatio, built from segregate plus -ion.