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 Late Latin cystis, from Ancient Greek kustis ("bladder, pouch"), from an ancient root meaning "to be hollow" or "to swell."

From Latin cuspis, "a point, a spear tip" — first borrowed into English through astrology, to describe the boundary between star signs.

Borrowed directly from Latin curia.

From Middle English curre, probably related to Old Norse kurr, "grumbling" — likely imitating a dog's growl.

From Old English culufre or culfre, an old word for a dove, likely borrowed from a Latin word related to "columba" ("dove, pigeon") — the same root behind "columbine."

From Middle English "cu," originally an abbreviation for the Latin word for "quarter" used to mark small purchases in account books; the theatrical sense grew from marking cues in scripts.

From Latin crux, meaning "cross" — the sense shifted from a literal cross to a central, decisive point.

Believed to imitate the sound itself — the word was coined to echo the dull thud of an explosion.

The "-ing" form of "do," used as a noun.

From Old French despit, from Latin despectus, "a looking down on" — from despicere, "to despise". The preposition grew out of the phrase "in despite of".

Thought to imitate the two-note vocal riff musicians used when scatting or humming the style's rhythms — "be-bop" — which became the genre's name in the 1940s jazz scene.

Named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who led the first European expedition to reach the Pacific from the Americas.

From Old English hraþor, "sooner, more quickly" — the comparative of a word meaning "swift."

Coined in 1962 by physicist Lev Okun from Greek hadros ("thick, bulky") plus the particle-physics suffix -on.

From Middle Dutch or Low German crāghe, "neck" or "throat" — related to the modern German word Kragen, "collar."

A shortened form of "coxswain."

From Old English cugele, from Latin cucullus meaning "hood." Related to "cagoule."

From Old English cofa, meaning "chamber" or "den" — the sense narrowed over time to describe a small sheltered inlet or hollow.

From Latin "corona" ("crown, garland"), from Greek "korōnē." A doublet of "crown" and "krone."

A clipped, informal form of helicopter.

Borrowed from Gullah cootuh ("turtle"), which traces back to a West African language, likely Bambara kuta.

From Middle English cote, of uncertain origin — possibly borrowed from Middle Dutch coet, the same word that gives Dutch koet.

A variant of the older word "cond," from Anglo-Norman "conduire" ("to lead"), the same root that gives us "conduct" and "conduce."

From Old English cawel, itself borrowed early from Latin caulis meaning "cabbage" — a relative of the words kale and cauliflower.