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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From Latin pompa, "solemn procession," from Greek pompḗ, "a sending" or "ceremonial procession."

A clipped, informal shortening of "politician."

Borrowed directly from Hawaiian poi.

From Old French, ultimately from Latin "plumbum" meaning lead — the metal traditionally used to weight the vertical measuring line.

Borrowed from Spanish playa, "beach." The desert-basin sense comes from the same word used regionally in Spanish for a dry lakebed.

Coined from "photo-" plus the particle suffix "-on"; the term was introduced by physicist Leonard Troland in 1916 and later popularized by chemist Gilbert N. Lewis.

From Old French puiee, "balustrade, balcony," ultimately from Latin podium — the same root as "podium."

A shortening of "pepper," used figuratively for spirit or zest.

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

By surface analysis, pelv- + -ic.

A shortened form of Middle English apel/appel, ultimately from Old French apel ("an appeal, or a ringing of bells") — related to the word "appeal".

From peak + the adjective suffix -y.

Borrowed from French pas, meaning "step" or "pace."

From Old English pæll, borrowed from Latin pallium ("cloak, covering") — the noun for a coffin-cloth came first; the verb "to grow dull" developed later in English.

From Anglo-Norman ouster, ultimately from a Latin verb meaning "to obstruct" or "stand in the way of" — despite appearances, it is not related to the word "out."

A dialect contraction of "ordinary" — the word originally just meant "common" or "plain," but drifted over time in American speech to mean stubborn and cranky.

From Latin opalus, ultimately traced back to Sanskrit upala ("gem, stone"); first recorded in English around 1598.

From Old French onix or oniche, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ónux, originally meaning "claw" or "fingernail" (a reference to the stone's pale, nail-like banding).

From Old English oft, "often" — the older, shorter ancestor of the modern word "often".

Adopted into English around 1770 from Italian oboe, itself a spelling of the French hautbois ("high wood") — from haut ("high, loud") + bois ("wood").

A variant of the older word "auf", probably from Old Norse alfr ("elf") — originally used for a changeling child left by fairies, later broadening to any clumsy or foolish person.

A geographical name of disputed origin, possibly linked to the Noba, a people once living in the region.

From a Middle English rebracketing of "for then anes" ("for the one occasion"). The cryptography sense is often explained as short for "number used once," though that may be a later reinterpretation.

Thought to come from an old spelling of "knob" (head), later extended to mean a "big head" or important person — the same idea behind "bigwig."