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

From Biblical Hebrew רָחֵל (rāḫēl), meaning "ewe," via Greek and Latin.

From Hebrew לֵאָה (Le'a).

From Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly linked to a root meaning "bitter" — the same Old Testament name that became "Mary" in English.

From flop + the adjective suffix -y.

Recorded since the early 1600s, likely a heavier-sounding variant of flap.

From "blog" (itself a shortening of "weblog") plus the agent suffix "-er" — the same pattern as "writer" or "singer."

From Hindi/Urdu chai, itself borrowed from Persian and ultimately from the same Chinese root as "tea."

From the Japanese character 気/氣, meaning vital energy or spirit — the same concept behind Chinese "qi".

From camp + the agent suffix -er, meaning "one who camps."

From Old French delaier, ultimately tied to Old Frankish roots meaning "to hinder" — a distant cousin of the word "dally."

Formed from "coca" plus the chemical suffix "-ine"; first used in this sense around 1874.

A compound of touch and down, originally describing the act of touching the ball down in the goal area.

From Latin deludere ("to mock, deceive"), from de- plus ludere ("to play or mock") — the same root behind "ludicrous".

From Old English spora, spura, going back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to kick."

See Gypsy. Compare bohemian, from Bohemia.

From slander plus -ous, "full of."

From Old French esclandre, ultimately from Greek skandalon ("stumbling block"), the same root that gives us "scandal."

A learned borrowing from Latin "hiatus" (an opening), from "hio" meaning "to stand open, yawn."

From Old French ajuster, ultimately tied to Latin iustus ("correct, exact") — the sense of making something precise or "just right."

Derived from the older adjective/adverb "aslope," meaning "in a slanted direction."

From Old English seolc, probably borrowed via early Baltic trade routes, ultimately tracing back through Latin and Greek to an East Asian source — the same root that gives us "China" as a byword for fine goods.

From Old French signe and Old English seġn, both going back to Latin signum ("mark, token").

From hope + -less ("without").

From un- + chain.