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 Middle Scots Scottis, from Old English Scyttisc, "Scottish."

From twist plus the suffix -er, originally meaning "one who twists," later applied to a spinning storm and a spinning ball.

From Old English twist, related to an old Germanic root for "two," describing something formed by winding two strands together.

From Middle English melodious, via Middle French, ultimately built on the same root as melody.

Borrowed from Latin opium and ultimately Greek opion, from opos, "juice of a plant."

From fore- + skin, formed to translate the Latin term praeputium; first recorded around 1535.

From Old French "section," from Latin "sectio" ("a cutting"), from "secare" ("to cut") — the same root as "saw."

The bean's name is a shortening of "Lima bean," named after the Peruvian capital, a major early export point for the crop.

From Byzantine Greek prōtókollon, "first sheet glued to a manuscript," from prôtos ("first") plus kólla ("glue") — originally the cover page of an official document.

From French primate, from Latin prīmās ("one of the first rank, chief"); the biological sense reflects the old idea that primates were the "highest" order of mammals.

From Greek autónomos, "living under one's own laws," from autós ("self") and nomos ("law").

The comparative form of "fast," formed with the standard "-er" ending.

Old English · 1900

Traced back to Middle English variants of "yea"/"yes," ultimately from Old English "gea." Its modern casual-greeting sense took off in early-20th-century Philadelphia and spread worldwide through pop culture.

From Middle English sker/skere, "terror," related to an Old Norse verb for frightening.

From Latin chorus, "group of dancers and singers," from Ancient Greek khorós.

Borrowed from Hebrew seder, meaning "order," reflecting the fixed sequence of the meal's rituals.

professionalism

Built from "professional" plus the suffix "-ism," which turns a quality into an abstract noun.

From Hebrew ya'ăqōḇ, traditionally linked to the word for "heel," referencing the biblical account of Jacob grasping his twin brother Esau's heel at birth. A doublet of James and Jacques.

The English form traces through Old French James back to Latin Iacobus, from Greek Iákōbos, ultimately from the Hebrew name that also produced "Jacob" — making James and Jacob doublets of each other.

From Old French messagier (from message), with an extra "n" that crept in the way it did in similar words like "passenger" and "scavenger".

A shortening of discotheque, itself from French discothèque.

From German "Fried" (peace) and "Mann" (man).

From Hebrew שָׁאַל, meaning "asked for" or "prayed for," via Greek Saoúl and Latin Saul.

From Old French demonstration, from Latin dēmōnstrātiōnem, from dēmōnstrāre, "to show or explain."