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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 leisure plus the suffix -ly.

From Old English leċġ, "a bar or crossbeam," related to the verb "to lay" — a ledge was originally something laid across as a support.

From Old French lesse, related to Latin laxus, "loose," through the idea of a cord that can be loosened or tightened.

From Old French lesser/laissier, "to let go" or "to allow," ultimately from Latin laxare, "to loosen" — the same root gives us the English word "lax."

From Middle English leken, related to Old Norse leka ("to drip"), all going back to a Germanic root meaning "to leak or drain."

From Old English leċċan, related to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to leak."

From Old English lǣċe, "blood-sucking worm" — the same root gave Old English the word for "physician," since leeches were once a common medical treatment.

From early Modern English laune, an alteration of laund ("glade"), from Old French lande ("heath, moor").

From Old English læċċan, meaning "to grasp or seize".

From Old French lard ("bacon"), from Latin lardum, "bacon fat."

From Old English læppa, "skirt or flap of a garment," related to a Germanic root for cloth or a hanging piece.

From lank + -y, lank meaning "thin and long."

From Dutch landschap, "region, district," via earlier English landskip — ultimately from land + a suffix meaning "shape/state."

From Old English lama ("lame"), a Germanic word originally meaning "broken" or "weakened."

From Old English hlǣder, related to the word "lean," describing something you lean against to climb.

From Old English *læc, related to Germanic words for "slackness" or "deficiency."

From Old English cnedan, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to press together."

From Old English cnafa, originally just meaning "boy" or "male servant." Over the centuries the word's meaning darkened from a harmless term for a young servant into one for a dishonest, untrustworthy man.

From a Low German or Dutch word combining knappen, "to bite or crack" (referring to eating), with sack — essentially a "food sack," reflecting its early use for carrying rations.

Middle English · 1500

Recorded in Middle English originally for a sharp sound or sudden blow, likely imitating the noise itself. By the late 1500s the word had shifted to mean a clever trick or special skill — the idea of doing something with a quick, effortless snap.

From play + time.

From Old English pleġere ("athlete, one who plays"), built from play plus the agent suffix -er.

From Latin iubilatio, "a shouting for joy."

From Middle English forms meaning "to chatter" or "babble", related to "jowl" (jaw) — the word has always been about the mouth running fast.