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 un- + expensive.

From un- + spell.

From un- + kingly (adverb via Middle English unkyngly).

From wagon + load.

From un- + ladylike.

Borrowed from Spanish vinagrón, from vinagre (“vinegar”) + -ón (augmentative suffix). Influenced by vinegar.

From un- + utopia.

unwithstandable

From un- + withstandable.

From vindicatory + -ly.

From urning + -ism.

Borrowed from Yiddish פֿאַרקלעמט (farklemt, “depressed, distraught; choked up”). The English spelling was influenced by the German prefix ver- corresponding to Yiddish פֿאַר־ (far-). German verklemmt (“uptight”, literally “jammed”) is formally cognate, but semantically unrelated; a closer match is beklommen (“anxious, despondent”). Popularized by a 1990s sketch comedy series.

From Middle English utteraunce, outeraunce; equivalent to utter + -ance.

From weird + -some.

From vouch + safe, written as two words in Middle English and early Modern English.

From white + water, see whitewater.

From Latin vīgēnus (“twenty each”), variant of vīcēnus, + -ary. Cognate with English vicenary and vicenarious.

From the Norman personal name Wazo.

From unravel + -ment.

From Latin violābilis. Compare Middle English violable (“destructive”), a hapax legomenon.

Borrowed from Latin verbēna (“leaves or twigs of olive, myrtle, laurel, or other sacred plants employed in religious ceremonies”), from Proto-Indo-European *werbʰ-. Doublet of vervain, via French.

Either from Hindi -वाला (-vālā, “pertaining to”) or from Hindi वाला (vālā, “person in charge”).

Univerbation and contraction of what is the name.

From un- + mergeable.

From un- + flagging.