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 Latin triplus, ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European root as "three" — a doublet of "treble."

From Old French desporter, "to divert or amuse," ultimately from Latin portare, "to carry" — the idea of carrying the mind away from serious matters.

From Greek pandemos, "of all the people" (pan- "all" + demos "the people"), combined with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic."

From Ancient Greek en- ("in") plus dēmos ("people"), via French endémique — literally "among the people."

From un- + necessary.

From unnecessary + -ly.

From necessary + -ly.

Coined in German from Benzin, itself based on Benzoesäure ("benzoic acid"), with the chemical suffix -ene added when the compound was renamed in English in 1872.

From Old French lavache, "downpour, torrent of rain," reflecting the idea of something poured out abundantly.

By surface analysis, Latin ferv- + -our (“abstract noun suffix”).

From Latin surrogatus, a variant of subrogare — from sub- ("under") + rogare ("to ask").

Ottoman Turkish

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish "yoğurt," ultimately from a Turkic root related to curdling or thickening.

From "deceptive" + "-ly."

Named after the grumpy title character of Dr. Seuss's 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" — the character's name has since become a generic term for any holiday killjoy.

A direct borrowing from Latin circa, meaning "around" or "about".

From Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη (Persephónē).

From the Latin family name Antonius; the "h" was added later by mistaken association with a Greek word for "flower," though the name itself is probably Etruscan in origin.

From Late Latin existentialis, built from existentia ("existence") plus the adjective ending "-al."

Borrowed via French from Latin architectura, from Greek arkhitekton — "arkhi-" (chief) plus "tekton" (builder).

From Latin exsistere, "to come into being, appear," from ex- ("out") plus sistere ("to stand, place").

From Old English fyllan ("to fill, satisfy, complete"), rooted in the Germanic word for "full."

From Latin indelebilis, "that cannot be destroyed," from in- ("not") + delere ("to destroy, erase").

From the given name Andy, a diminutive of Andrew, generalized into slang for "a guy" or "a type of person."

From "narrate" plus the agent suffix "-or", mirroring the Latin narrator.