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 Latin digredi, "to step away."

From Latin digerere, "to carry apart, distribute," from dis- plus gerere, "to carry."

From Late Latin dictatio, built on the same root as "dictate."

From Latin diabetes ("siphon"), from Greek diabetes, from diabainein ("to pass through") — a reference to the excessive urination the disease causes.

From Old French devot, from Latin dēvōtus, "vowed, dedicated" — a doublet of devote.

From Medieval Latin dēviātiō, from dēviāre, "to turn off the road" — built from de- ("off") + via ("way").

From Middle French dévastation.

From French détonation, from detonate + -ion.

From Old French determinacion, from Latin determinatio, ultimately from determinare ("to fix, settle").

From French détérioration, built from deteriorate + -ion.

From Late Latin deteriorare, from deterior ("worse").

From Latin destinatio, from destinare, "to make firm, to determine".

From Late Latin despicabilis, from despicere, "to look down on" — the same root as "despise".

Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.

From Middle English designacioun, from Latin dēsignātiō, and partly (especially in sense 5) from design + -ation. By surface analysis, designate + -ion.

From deprive, ultimately from Latin de- + privare, "to deprive."

From Middle French déportation, formed from "deport" plus "-ation."

From Old French dependre and Latin dependere, literally "to hang from" (de- "down from" + pendere "to hang").

From Old French denominacion, from Latin dēnōminātiō, related to the verb denominate, "to give a name to."

From Old French démise, feminine past participle of démettre ("to relinquish"), from Latin demittere. The "death" sense developed as a euphemism, since a person's death was often the legal event that triggered the transfer of an estate.

From de- plus an old sense of mean meaning "lowly, common", from Old English gemæne.

From Middle English deliberacioun, from Old French deliberation, from Latin deliberātiō. Morphologically deliberate + -ion.

From Latin deliberare, "to weigh carefully" — built from de- plus librare, "to balance."

From de- + hydration.