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 ardant, from Latin ardens, "burning" — the present participle of ardere, "to burn."

From Latin zēlōsus, from zēlus ("zeal"); a doublet of "jealous," which took a different meaning down a separate path.

From Greek zēlōtēs ("zealous follower"), from zēlos ("zeal"); originally the name for a fierce anti-Roman Jewish faction before it became a general word for any fanatic.

From Old French atachier, "to fasten," related to a Frankish word for stick or stake — the same root that gives us "attack" and "stake."

From Latin athleta, from Greek athletes ("one who competes for a prize"), from athlon ("prize, contest").

A shortened, clipped form of referee.

From Latin impertinens, ultimately im- ("not") + pertinent.

A shortened form of Gabrielle.

From Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis ("breakable") — a doublet of "fragile."

From Dutch ranten, "to talk nonsense or rave," of uncertain further origin.

From Latin compensare, "to weigh one thing against another," from com- ("together") plus pensare ("to weigh").

From Old English mersc, related to "mere" (a lake or body of water) — a marsh is essentially land that never fully dries out.

From Ancient Greek pathos, "suffering" or "feeling."

A compound of "star" + "fish," describing its shape, even though it is not a true fish but an echinoderm related to sea urchins.

From Old English freondscipe, formed from friend plus the suffix -ship.

From Old English lēaþor, a word for a soap-like substance used in washing.

From Old English steorfan, "to die," related to German sterben ("to die") — the narrower sense of dying from hunger developed later in English.

From Old French, likely from a word meaning "height," ultimately related to the same ancient root that gave English the word "high."

From Swiss German Heidi, a pet form of Adelheid, equivalent of English Adelaide and Alice. The name became internationally popular due to the children's book Heidi (1880).

A learned borrowing from Latin pilaris, from pilus, "a hair."

From Latin fruitiō, "enjoyment" — reshaped in English to look like fruit + -ion, tying it to the idea of a plan "bearing fruit."

From Old English rudiġ, related to "rud" (redness) — the mild-swear sense developed later as a polite substitute for "bloody."

From Old English wyrhta, "worker, maker" — the same root seen in "wheelwright" and "playwright".

Likely a playful reduplication of "wee," meaning small.