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 Old English lēah, "clearing in a forest."

From Latin, of uncertain further origin.

From "land" (verb) + the agent suffix "-er."

From Hindi/Urdu lākh, ultimately from Sanskrit lākṣā; a doublet of "lacquer."

Formed by mistakenly treating "kudos" as if it were a plural noun ending in -s, and back-forming a singular "kudo" from it.

Originally a trademark, from a Greek verb meaning "to make a sharp sound." An American manufacturer registered it in the early 1900s for the loud horns fitted to early automobiles, and the name eventually became a generic word for any similar alarm.

From Northern Middle English kyrke, related to Old Norse kirkja and Old English cirice — the same root that gave us "church." Kirk and church are essentially the same word arriving through different regional paths.

From Turkic and Mongolic titles meaning "ruler" or "lord", most famously associated with Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire.

From Middle English corn/curn ("grain, kernel"), related to the word "kernel" — the typographic sense developed later from the idea of a small overhanging piece.

From French quine, referring to a winning combination of five numbers in a lottery.

From Old English cenep, meaning "moustache" or "bristling point", ultimately related to the word chin.

From Middle English kelpe, of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English roots meaning a lump or swelling, referring to the air-filled bladders on some seaweeds.

Borrowed directly from Japanese kabuki, a centuries-old form of stylised theatre.

From Spanish junta, literally "a thing joined or gathered together," from Latin iunctus, "joined."

From Gullah juke/jook, meaning "wicked" or "disorderly" — the same root as jukebox and juke joint.

From Latin iota, the tiny Greek letter used figuratively for "a very small amount".

From Chinese Pidgin English, itself borrowed from Macau Portuguese, ultimately from the Latin and Portuguese word for "god."

A variant of "Gill," a diminutive of the name Gillian, itself from Latin Juliana.

From "jig" plus the agent suffix "-er."

Origin uncertain; possibly related to an Old French word for a fiddle, since jigs were traditionally fiddle tunes.

From Old French ges, from Latin iactus, "a throw" — the same root that gives us "jet" and "project."

Origin uncertain — one theory links it to Jalapa, Mexico, where worn-out American cars were reportedly sent for scrap starting in the 1920s.

From a Middle English variant of the name "Jack" or "Jacques," later used euphemistically for the toilet, much like "the John" is used today.

Formed from jag + -er, originally describing someone or something that jags (cuts or crimps).