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 consume + the agent-forming suffix -er.

A clipped form of "perquisite."

From Italian parapetto, literally "chest-high" (para- "protecting" + petto "chest") — a wall built to about chest height for protection.

From Zulu ímâmba, ultimately from a Proto-Bantu root.

From Old French esclendre ("thin, slender"), traced back to a Germanic root meaning "sliding, slippery" — the same idea behind "slide" and "slither."

First recorded in Scots in the early 1500s; its origin is uncertain, though some link it to "wrath" or "writhe" through a shared idea of something twisted or turned.

From Old French defendre, from Latin dēfendere ("to ward off"), which displaced the native Old English word bewerian.

Built from be- (an old intensifying prefix) plus friend, so it literally means "to make into a friend."

From French cosaque, from Polish Kozak, ultimately from a Turkic word meaning "free adventurer" or "raider."

From Latin aster, from Ancient Greek astḗr (\"star\") — the same root as "asterisk" and "astronomy," and a distant cousin of the English word "star" itself.

From Old English incyme, "an in-coming, an entrance," built from in- + come — the word originally described anything flowing in, before narrowing to money.

From Latin famosus, from fama, "fame, reputation" — the same root as "fame."

From Latin politus, "polished," the past participle of polire — the same root that gives us "polish." Politeness was once thought of as social "polish."

From Old French plaisant, ultimately from please + -ant. It largely replaced the older English word winsome in this sense.

From Latin flexibilis, from flectere ("to bend, curve").

From Middle French minorité, tracing to Late Latin minoritas, built on the Latin root minor, "lesser."

From Middle French maiorité, from Medieval Latin maioritas, from Latin maior ("greater").

From Old English hȳr, meaning wages or payment for a service, going back to a Proto-Germanic root for "payment."

Formed from "market" plus "-ing."

From Old French divorce, from Latin dīvortium, from dīvertere, "to turn aside" — related to divert and verse.

From Latin lectura, "a reading," from legere, "to read or recite" — lectures originally meant someone reading a text aloud to students.

From Latin observare, "to watch," from ob- ("before") + servare ("to keep, guard").

From Old French repeter, from Latin repetere, "to attack again, to seek again," from re- plus petere, "to seek."

From Old French clamer ("to call out, name"), from Latin clāmāre ("to shout").