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 werewulf, literally "man-wolf," combining the old word wer ("man") with wulf ("wolf").

From Latin nervus ("sinew, nerve"), via Medieval Latin. A doublet of "sinew" and "neuron."

A learned borrowing from Latin incestus, "unchaste, impure." It replaced the Old English term mǣghǣmed, literally "relative-sex."

Originally an acronym for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," now used as an ordinary word without anyone spelling it out.

From Latin equinus, "of horses," from equus ("horse").

From Latin iocus, "jest or pastime" — the same root that gave French jeu and Italian gioco.

Borrowed from Spanish pronto, from Latin prōmptus. A doublet of prompt.

From late Middle English nippen, related to Low German and Dutch words meaning "to pinch."

Borrowed from French parkour, an altered spelling of parcours, "course, route."

Mountain named after Sir George Everest. The surname may be from Norman French Devereux, meaning from Évreux.

Coined in 1967 by physicist Gerald Feinberg from Greek takhus, "swift," plus the particle-naming suffix "-on."

From short + cut.

From Old English mierran, "to hinder, disturb, or spoil," from an ancient Germanic root meaning "to disturb or annoy."

From Greek hypothetikos, related to hypothesis.

From Medieval Latin coordinatus, built from co- ("together") and ordinare ("to arrange, put in order") — the same root as "ordain" and "order."

From Latin platea, "broad street, plaza," via Old French place — the same root gives us "plaza" and "piazza" in other languages.

Originally just "worm" plus "hole"; the physics meaning was introduced by physicist John Archibald Wheeler in 1957.

From Old French duresse, "hardness," from Latin durus, "hard" — the same root that gives us "durable" and "endure."

From Greek ékkentros, "off centre" — literally "out of" (ek-) plus "centre" (kéntron); it first described orbits that didn't circle the Earth exactly, before coming to mean "unconventional person."

A deverbal noun from the phrasal verb break down.

From Latin monitor, "one who warns," from monere, "to warn or remind" — the same root behind "admonish" and "premonition."

From Anglo-Norman awaitier, "to watch or lie in wait for", from a- + waitier, "to watch" — related to modern "wait".

From Old English flean, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to strip."

From Amharic ቶራ (tora).