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

Origin uncertain — possibly a nasal-sounding variant of "butt".

Believed to be imitative of sound, like the related words bungle, jumble, and fumble.

From bulge + the agent suffix -er.

Likely imitative of a young child's attempt to say "brother," related to "bubba."

The bird's name traces back through Old Norse brandgás, literally "burnt goose," describing its dark plumage.

From late Middle English brad, related to Old Norse broddr ("spike, shaft").

From Russian "boyare," the plural of "boyarin," a term for a noble.

Borrowed from Spanish bonito.

From Philippine Spanish bolo, ultimately from Tagalog.

From Old English bodian, "to announce or foretell," related to the word bid.

From German Bockbier.

From bob plus the diminutive suffix -le.

From Latin boa, the name of a large snake described by the Roman writer Pliny. The fluffy scarf was later named after the snake because of its similar shape when worn around the neck.

An imitative word, formed to sound like the noise it describes.

From Greek bios ("life") and opsis ("sight, view") — literally "viewing the living."

From Old English bidan, "to wait, remain, or endure," from a Proto-Germanic root shared with words for "wait" across many Germanic languages, and distantly related to "faith" and "fidelity" through a common Indo-European root.

Ottoman Turkish

From Ottoman Turkish "bey," meaning "gentleman" or "chief," tracing back to an old Turkic word for "lord."

From be- (an intensifying prefix) plus rate, an old verb meaning "to scold" — so berate literally means to rate someone down hard.

The stream sense comes from Old English bæc/bece, related to Old Norse bekkr, "a stream" — still common in place names across Northern England. The "beck and call" sense comes from a separate old word meaning a summoning gesture or nod, related to "beckon."

From Louisiana French "bayou," borrowed from the Choctaw word "bayuk," meaning a small stream.

From an old word "bawd," meaning a person who ran a brothel, plus the suffix "-y."

From French bâton, "stick."

From Old French bastir, "to build or sew up a garment" — the cooking sense (dripping fat over meat) developed separately in English.

From base + the adjective-forming suffix -al.