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 Old French merle, from Latin merula, "blackbird."

From Old French mier, from Latin merus ("pure, undiluted") — the same root gives us the sense of "nothing but, simply."

From Latin mediālis, built from medius ("middle") plus the adjective-forming suffix -ālis.

From Old English maga, "stomach," related to German Magen and Dutch maag — all going back to a very old Germanic word for "belly."

Shortened from marlinspike, a pointed tool used in ropework, because of the fish's similarly pointed snout.

Named after the technique's association with the French name Marcel, though accounts differ on exactly who invented it.

From Old French marc, related to marcher meaning "to trample" — a nod to how grapes were once crushed underfoot.

From Haitian Creole manbo ("voodoo priestess"), later applied to the Cuban dance style via Cuban Spanish.

From Greek mágma ("paste, thick ointment").

Borrowed from Spanish macho ("male"), from Latin masculus — the same root as "male."

From Old English leah/leag, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to wash".

Named after the Austrian skater Alois Lutz, credited with inventing the jump in the early 1910s.

Probably named after the American stage magician Lulu Hurst (1869-1950), known for feats that amazed audiences.

From Middle English lullen, thought to imitate the soft "la-la" or "lu-lu" sounds used to soothe a child — the same root that gives us lullaby.

From Middle English lopen, from Old Norse hlaupa ("to leap, run") — the same root that gives us "leap," making lope and leap word doublets.

From Middle English loppe ("bough"); the verb developed from the noun, describing the cutting-off of boughs.

A shortening of "lollipop."

From a Scottish place name near Ayrshire, itself from Gaelic lagan, "little hollow."

From Ancient Greek lobós, meaning the soft lobe of the ear or liver, or a seed pod.

From list (in the sense "to make a list of things") plus the agent suffix -er, meaning "one who does the action."

From French limbique, from Latin limbus ("border, edge") — the limbic system forms a border around the brainstem.

Borrowed from Middle French lien ("bond, tie"), from Latin ligare, "to bind" — the same root as ligament.

From Old French levee, from lever ("to raise"), from Latin levare ("to raise, lift").

From French levee, "raised (thing)," from lever, "to raise."