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 English milde ("gentle, mild"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to grind" or "to crush" — the idea being something worn down soft rather than rough.

From Old French pome grenate, literally "seeded apple," from Latin pōmum ("fruit") and grānātum ("having many seeds").

From Japanese rōnin, meaning roughly "wave person" — someone adrift without a master, like a wave with no fixed shore.

From Medieval Latin "ultimatus", from Latin "ultimus" meaning "last" or "final".

From Latin temporālis, "relating to time," from tempus, "time" — related to "temper" and "temperature."

Probably an abbreviation of sodium pentothal.

From smash plus the past-participle ending -ed.

Origin uncertain, likely imitative of the sound itself — similar to Swedish and Danish words describing smacking or kissing sounds made with the lips.

From Greek pentágrammon, "five lines" — penta- + gram ("letter/line").

Formed from "duplicity" plus the adjective ending "-ous."

From Latin coniugalis, from coniunx ("spouse"), literally "one yoked together" — from con- + iugum ("yoke").

From Old French garnement, related to garnir, "to clothe, furnish, or adorn" — the same root behind "garnish."

Probably from Old Northern French escarpe, a bag or pouch carried by pilgrims around the neck.

From Latin virginitas, from virgo ("virgin"), via Old French virginite.

From Middle English virgine, from Old French virgine, from Latin virginem, accusative of virgō. Doublet of Virgo. Displaced native Old English fǣmne.

From Middle English haterede, built from hate plus an old suffix marking a state or condition — the same pattern seen in "kindred."

From Old English fōdor, related to the word "food" and going back to an ancient root meaning "to feed" or "to graze."

From Old French reaume/realme ("kingdom"), of murky origin, likely a blend of Latin regimen and rēgālis; the modern spelling settled around 1600.

From Middle French millet, from Latin milium, both ultimately from an ancient root meaning "to grind."

From Old English bærlīċ, originally an adjective meaning "barley-like," ultimately from a very old root related to "spike" or "prickle" — describing the grain's bristly seed head.

From Latin Cerealis ("of Ceres"), the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain.

From Old English "plot", originally meaning a patch of ground; the sense of a secret scheme and the sense of a story's structure both developed later as figurative extensions.

Japanese · 1900

Borrowed from Japanese ninja (忍者), popularized in the West largely through films and novels of the late 20th century.

The company name blends Latin sonus ("sound") with "sonny," suggesting a lively young company built around sound technology.