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 politic + the suffix -ian.

From "photograph" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From Old French rengier, "to arrange in a row," related to rank and ring.

From Middle English "prechour," from Old French "preecheor," ultimately from Latin "praedicator" ("one who proclaims publicly").

Coined in French as a blend of "oxygène" and "acide," reflecting the fact that many oxides were originally understood through their role in forming acids.

A shortened form of "refrigerator," possibly influenced by the Frigidaire brand name.

From Old English "on sīdan," literally "on the side of" — the same root as beside.

From Medieval Latin anniversarius ("returning yearly"), from annus ("year") + versus, from vertere ("to turn").

From Ancient Greek Ἀνδρέᾱς (Andréās), cognate with ἀνδρεῖος (andreîos, "manly"); a doublet of Andrew.

From Portuguese Colombo, modification (under the influence of the Italian surname, see below) of Sinhalese කොලොන් තොට (kolon toṭa, literally “port on the river Kelani”). Other theories derive the name from Veddah; see w:Colombo § Etymology for more.

Borrowed from Medieval Latin refrigerator, "a cooler."

From ice + box — literally a box that held ice.

From Latin lēns, the same word that gave us "lens" — because a magnifying lens is shaped like a lentil seed.

A compound of coach and man.

A compound of "book" and "store."

From Anglo-Norman marchaunt, from Latin mercor, "to trade or deal" — the same root behind "merchandise" and "market."

A compound of "book" and "seller."

A literal compound of "book" and "worm," first describing the insect pest before being applied affectionately to avid readers.

A straightforward compound of "book" and "case," meaning a case (container) built to hold books.

From New Latin "sceleton," ultimately from Greek "skeletós," meaning "dried up" or "withered" — describing a dried-out body.

From Old English hyll, tracing back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root meaning "top" or "rock" — related to the word "holm."

From Old English hōf, an ancient Germanic word for the same body part, related to similar words across Indo-European languages for "hoof" or "claw."

From Old English þīefþ, related to "thief" — literally the state or act of being a thief.

From Middle English furre/forre, via Anglo-Norman, ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "sheath" or "case" — the same root that gives German Futter ("lining").