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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First recorded around 1800, from French isolation, from isolé ("placed on an island") — built from isolate plus -ion.

Formed from ir- ("not") plus reversible.

Built from Latin claustrum ("a locked or enclosed place") plus the Greek-derived suffix -phobia ("fear"); first recorded in medical writing in the 1870s.

From mad + woman.

From the verb "ail" (to trouble or afflict) plus the noun-forming suffix "-ment."

From Old French maladie, "sickness," from malade, "sick," which traces back to Latin male habitus, literally "kept in a bad state."

From Latin praevenire, "to come before, to anticipate," from prae- ("before") + venire ("to come").

From Latin prōtēctus, past participle of prōtegere, "to cover in front" — from prō- ("in front of") plus tegere ("to cover.")

From Old French preserver, ultimately from Latin prae- ("before") and servare ("to keep, guard") — literally "to guard beforehand."

From Old French maintenir, from Latin manu tenere, literally "to hold in the hand."

From Old French folie ("madness"), from the adjective fol ("mad, foolish") — the same root that gives us "fool."

From Latin insanitas, built the same way as insane — in- ("not") plus sanus ("sound, healthy").

From Middle English madnes, built from mad plus the suffix -ness.

A compound of mad and man.

From kink + the adjective-forming suffix -y, originally just meaning "twisted" before picking up its figurative sexual sense in the 20th century.

From Old French jouster, ultimately from Latin iuxta ("close to, next to") — describing two riders coming together.

From Old French jaiolier, built on the same root as "jail" plus the agent suffix "-er."

Borrowed from Middle French irritation, from Latin irritatio, from irritare, "to excite."

Borrowed from Middle French irrigation, from Latin irrigatio.

From Latin invitatio, from invitare, "to invite."

From Middle English investigacioun, from Old French investigacion, from Latin investigatio. Morphologically investigate + -ion.

From invade + -er.

Likely coined in the 1880s by physician Joseph O'Dwyer.

From intimidate plus the noun suffix -ion.