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 French bander, originally describing hitting a ball back and forth in an early form of tennis — the "passing back and forth" sense comes straight from that game.

From Latin augur, a title of uncertain deeper origin, related to the verb augurare, "to interpret omens."

From Latin audire, "to hear" — because early financial examinations were reported aloud and the examiner literally listened to them.

From Latin atrium ("entrance hall"), borrowed from Etruscan.

From Middle English atone, literally "at one" — to bring into agreement or unity, later coming to mean making amends.

From Middle English aspen, formed from asp (the tree) plus -en.

Borrowed directly from Spanish arroyo, meaning "stream" or "brook."

From Argus, the many-eyed watchman of Greek myth, whose eyes were said to live on in the peacock's tail.

From Greek aorte, related to a verb meaning "to lift or raise" — describing how the vessel rises from the heart.

From Old French anis, from Latin anisum, from Greek anison — ultimately traced back to an Egyptian source word.

From Old English alor, tracing back to Proto-Germanic roots for the same tree.

Borrowed from German Angst ("fear, anxiety"), popularized in English through translations of Kierkegaard's philosophy.

Formed from the Latin suffix -ana; compare ism (from -ism), itis (from -itis), phobia (from -phobia).

From "amine," itself traced back to "ammonia," the pungent gas whose name comes from the Egyptian god Amun.

Borrowed from French clique, likely of imitative origin, possibly influenced by the similar word claque.

From Latin alumen via Anglo-Norman alum — unrelated in origin to the graduate sense, which is a modern short form of "alumnus/alumna."

Borrowed from Latin althaea, ultimately from Greek, related to a word for "healing" — reflecting the plant's traditional medicinal use.

From Latin aloe, from Ancient Greek alóē, tracing back to Hebrew and ultimately a Tamil word for the plant.

Named after the German chemist Kurt Alder, who won the Nobel Prize for related chemistry work.

From Spanish álamo ("poplar tree") — the same word behind the name of the famous San Antonio mission and battle site.

From Middle English afire, combining the "a-" prefix ("on") with "fire."

From French adepte, from Latin adeptus, "one who has attained (skill or knowledge)," from adipisci, "to attain."

From Latin fanaticus, "inspired by a god, frenzied," originally describing worshippers at a temple (fanum).

From Medieval Latin passionatus, "affected with strong feeling," from passion.