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 exception + the adjective suffix -al.

From Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptus, "taken out."

From Latin excavatio, "a hollowing out," built on excavare (see "excavate").

From Latin exaggeratio, "a piling up," from exaggerare (see "exaggerate").

From Latin exactus, "measured out" or "perfected," the past participle of exigere ("to drive out, demand, measure"), from ex- ("out") + agere ("to drive").

From Medieval Latin punitivus, from punire, "to punish."

From evaporate + -ion, ultimately from Latin evaporare.

From French évaluation, built from evaluate + -ion.

From Old French evacuation, from Late Latin ēvacuātiō — built on the same root as evacuate.

From Latin ēvacuō, "to empty out" — first used in English around 1526.

Coined in 1883 by Francis Galton from Greek roots meaning roughly \"well-born\" or \"good in stock.\"

From French étiquette, originally a small ticket or label — the French royal court at Versailles used these little cards to remind courtiers of the rules of behaviour, and the word grew to mean the rules themselves. It's a doublet of the word "ticket".

From Dutch etsen, from German ätzen (\"to etch\"), ultimately from the same old root as the English word \"eat\" — etching literally means letting acid \"eat\" into a surface.

From Latin eradicatio, "an uprooting," from eradicare ("to root out").

From Late Latin (circulus) aequator, "the equalizer (of day and night)."

From Old French entraitier, built from "en-" plus traitier, "to treat, deal with," from Latin tractare.

From Ancient Greek enthousiastikos, related to "enthusiasm."

From Anglo-Norman enseurer, from Old French seur ("sure"). A doublet of "insure."

From Old French enemisté, from Latin inimicus, "enemy".

From enlighten + -ment.

From Old English inlīhtan, "to give light to," related to light + -en.

From Ancient Greek ainigmatikos, related to ainigma, "riddle".

From Latin eminens, present participle of eminere, "to stand out, project," from ex- ("out") plus a root related to mons ("mountain").

From Late Latin stem of emigratio, from e (“out”) + migrare (“to move, remove, depart”).