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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

Japanese · 1281

From Japanese kamikaze, literally "divine wind" — originally the name for the typhoon that wrecked a Mongol invasion fleet off Japan in 1281, later applied to WWII suicide pilots who saw themselves in the same protective role.

Borrowed from Japanese jinrikisha, literally "human-powered vehicle," later shortened to rikisha and adapted into English as rickshaw.

From Old English þrote, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to swell" — likely a reference to the throat's visible movement when swallowing.

From Middle French structure, from Latin structura ("a building" or "a fitting together"), from struere ("to pile up, build") — the same root behind construct and instruct.

From Latin probabilis, "provable" or "credible," from probare, "to test or prove" — the same root behind "probe" and "prove."

From French médical, from Medieval Latin medicālis, from Latin medicus ("physician").

From Old English lator, the comparative form of "late".

From Old English læt, meaning "slow" or "sluggish" — related to the verb "let".

From Latin impulsus, from impellere ("to push against, urge on").

From Middle English viser, from Old French visiere — related to French visage, "face."

From Middle English upon, from Old English uppon, formed from up + on.

An imitative word — it simply mimics the sound of a short, startled shriek.

From Old Northern French escars, "sparing, miserly," of uncertain deeper origin.

From "wood" plus "-en," replacing the older Middle English word "treen" for "made of wood."

From Old French joint, "joint of the body," from Latin iunctus, past participle of iungere ("to join").

From Old English cnucel, "the joint between two bones," closely related to the word knock.

From Middle English rap, rappe, of North Germanic origin, related to Norwegian rapp (“a blow, strike, lash”), Swedish rapp (“a blow, lash, crack”), Danish rap (“a tap, smart, blow”). Compare Old English hreppan (“to touch, treat”). More at rape.

From Middle English wrappen, of uncertain origin, though it may be related to old Germanic words for pressing or stuffing something.

From Middle English withholden, formed from with- ("back") plus hold.

From Latin castrare, "to prune or cut away."

From Middle English bounsen, "to beat or thump," likely imitative of the sound of something striking a surface.

Built from "odd" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ity", on the same pattern as "rarity" from "rare".

The origin is uncertain, but the name likely developed from "caret" (the ^ proofreading mark it resembles) blended with an ending borrowed from "macron."

From "Kurd" plus the Persian-derived suffix "-istan," meaning "land of."