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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Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

From oblige + -ee.

nondisciplinary

From non- + disciplinary.

One of the variant spellings of Nichols, from Nichol, a Middle English vernacular form of the given name Nicholas + the suffix -s.

From north + land.

From non- + magician.

From over- + shake.

From the Late Latin orbiculāris, from Latin orbiculus, diminutive of orbis (“orb”).

off + board, from off board (“phrase”), equivalent to off- + board.

From the Latin octōnārius (“containing eight”), from octōnī (“eight at a time”, “by eights”, “eight each”) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary). Doublet of octonarius.

Borrowed from Latin optimē (“very well”), in the phrase optimē disputāstī (“you have disputed very well”), formerly used in reporting results at Cambridge.

Borrowed from Nyunga nhumbad.

From over- + breathing.

Borrowed from Welsh Owain. Doublet of Owen.

From non- + deductible.

Borrowed from Japanese 握り (nigiri, “grasping, gripping”, short for 握り寿司 nigirizushi, literally “gripped sushi” from the way the sushi rice is molded in the hand).

From non- + judge.

Marketing name.

From non- + cancerous.

From out- + compass (“limit”).

Borrowed from Late Latin occlūsiō, occlūsiōnis (“occluding, obstruction”), from the Classical Latin occlūdō (“to shut up or close up; to restrain”), from ob + claudō (“to shut or close”).

From oblige + -or.

From nose + bag.

From non- + materiality.