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 Scottish Gaelic clann ("children, offspring"), ultimately from Latin planta ("shoot, offspring").

From Old French caractere, from Latin character, from Ancient Greek kharaktēr, meaning "an engraved mark" — from kharassō, "to engrave" or "to scratch a mark".

Borrowed from Latin lis, meaning "quarrel" or "lawsuit."

From Old French cronique, from Latin chronicus, from Greek khronikós (\"of time\"), from khrónos (\"time\").

From Middle English bakynge, formed from bake plus the suffix -ing.

From Old English bacan ("to bake"), from a Proto-Germanic root shared with Dutch bakken and German backen.

Imitative of the retching sound; compare German köken ("to vomit").

From Old English dāg, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to knead, form, or mold."

A compound of tax and man.

From Old French bacheler, ultimately from Medieval Latin baccalarius — originally a term for a young knight or novice, later extended to unmarried men and academic degree-holders.

Borrowed from Italian duce ("leader"), from Latin dux — related to English "duke".

Borrowed from Spanish mona, meaning "female monkey."

From Old English earnian, ultimately linked to a root meaning "harvest" — earning something was originally tied to reaping a reward.

Borrowed directly from French jus, meaning "juice."

Borrowed from French monde, "world."

Borrowed from French cru ("growth"), from the verb croître, "to grow."

From Middle English Peter, from Old English Petrus, from Latin Petrus, from Ancient Greek Πέτρος (Pétros), from πέτρος (pétros, “stone, rock”). Doublet of Pedro, Piers, and Boutros.

From Middle French fourniture ("a supply, or the act of furnishing"), from fournir ("to furnish").

From hard plus core, literally "hard at the core" — first used in the 1930s and adopted as slang for intensity by the 1950s.

Formed from keg plus the suffix -er, on the pattern of turning an object into the name of an event built around it.

From Middle English sewen, from Old French sivre, "to follow," from Vulgar Latin sequere, "to follow" — the same root that gives us sequence and suit.

Borrowed from French roux, meaning "reddish-brown," describing the color the mixture takes on when cooked longer.

The bird name comes from Hawaiian ʻōʻū.

From the Hebrew Ḥannâ, meaning "grace" or "favour" — the same root gives us Ann, Anna, and Anne.