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 "hair" plus the suffix "-less," meaning "without."

Origin debated, likely from Old English haegtesse ("witch, fury").

From Latin habitatio, from habitare ("to dwell").

From Old French guise ("manner, way"), from a Frankish word meaning "manner" or "fashion"; related to "wise."

From Middle English words describing rumbling sounds in the bowels, ultimately of imitative origin — the sound itself likely shaped the word.

From French grimace, ultimately from a Frankish word for "mask" — the same root that gives us "grime," since a distorted face was once likened to a mask.

From Old French grief ("heavy, painful"), from Latin gravis ("heavy") — the same root as "grave" and "gravity."

From Old English grētan, related to modern German grüßen ("to greet").

A back-formation from the older adjective greedy, first recorded around 1600.

From Old English grasian, "to feed on grass," built from the word grass itself.

From Latin grātificātiō, from grātificārī ("to do a favor, to please"), from grātus ("pleasing").

From Anglo-Norman granter, ultimately tracing back to Latin credere, "to believe" or "trust" — the same root as "credit" and "guarantee."

From Old French grant/grand, from Latin grandis, meaning "full-grown" or "great."

From Middle English greyny, from grain plus the adjective suffix -y.

From Old French graal ("cup"), from Medieval Latin gradalis, possibly a corruption of Latin crater ("bowl").

From grade plus the agent suffix -er.

Formed from "grab" plus the agent suffix "-er".

From Old French goune, ultimately from Late Latin gunna, a word for a fur or leather garment.

From Old English gad ("goad, spear point"), an ancient Germanic word related to terms for spears and piercing.

From "gloom" plus the adjective ending "-y."

From Old Norse glitra, "to glitter," from a Germanic root shared with words for shining or gleaming.

Old English · 1500

From Old English gleo, "mirth, entertainment, or music," a word that fell out of use by 1500 but was revived in the late 1700s.

From Old English glæm, "a shaft of light or radiance," from a Germanic root meaning "brightness" or "splendour."

From Middle English glasen, "to fit with glass," from Old English glæs, "glass" — the sense of a shiny coating grew out of the idea of a glass-like finish.