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 "nan" (grandmother, nursemaid) plus -y, likely tracing back to an old, imitative baby-talk root for grandmother found across many languages.

From Middle English nagge, meaning a small horse or pony, possibly related to "neigh."

Ancient Greek · 1830

From Ancient Greek mythos ("word, story, tale"), which entered English usage in this form around 1830.

From Middle English muteren, an imitative word echoing the sound of low, murmured speech.

From Old French mostrer/moustrer, meaning "to show," from Latin monstrare — the same root as "monster" and "demonstrate."

From Old English mund ("protection, boundary"), from Proto-Germanic *mundō ("hand"); not related to "mount" despite the similar spelling.

From Anglo-Norman motif, from Late Latin motivum ("a moving cause").

From Middle English more + over, literally "more besides."

From the personal name Molly, a pet form of Mary; the drug sense likely comes from "molecular," referencing pure MDMA.

From Old English mīte, "tiny insect," from a root meaning "to cut" — the idea of something cut very small.

From mis- ("wrongly") plus shapen, an old past participle of shape.

From Latin miseria, from miser ("wretched").

From miser + -ly, in use since the 1540s.

From Old English myrgþ ("mirth, joy"), related to "merry."

From French menuet, from menu ("small"), from Latin minutus ("very small") — a reference to the dance's small, dainty steps.

From Old English gemyndful, built from mind plus the suffix "-ful", meaning "full of attention".

From Latin mimus and ultimately Greek mîmos ("imitator, actor"), re-borrowed into English through French mime.

From French migrant, from Latin migrare ("to move from one place to another").

From Ancient Greek metabole ("change"), via the -ism suffix, from metaballo ("to change or alter").

From Ancient Greek metabolikos, from metabole ("change"), the same root as "metabolism".

From an older sense meaning food served at one sitting, related to a Middle English word for a portion of food; the "untidy state" sense developed later, possibly linked to a word for mixed-up food or animal feed.

From Old English masc ("net"), related to Old High German mAsca and Old Norse moskvi, going back to a root meaning "to knit or plait".

From Old French mention, from Latin mentiō ("a calling to mind, a mention").

A shortened form of Middle English amenden ("to correct, improve, cure"), from Old French amender, from Latin ēmendāre — literally "to remove a fault," from ex- ("out") plus mendum ("fault, defect").