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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From bull + fighting.

A shortening of "monophonic."

From the title of Eminem's 2000 song "Stan," about an obsessive fan named Stan; some also read it as a blend of "stalker" and "fan."

From Middle English dent/dint, from Old English dynt, meaning a blow or strike — originally the mark or sound left by hitting something.

From Ancient Greek kataklysmos, "deluge, flood," from kata- ("down") plus klyzein ("to wash over").

From French goule, borrowed from Persian/Arabic ghul, a legendary desert demon that preyed on travelers and the dead.

From Old English bana, meaning a killer or cause of death, from a Germanic root tied to slaying — the word has softened over time from "someone's literal killer" to "someone's biggest annoyance."

From Latin aetherius, from Ancient Greek aithérios (\"of the upper air\"), related to \"ether\".

Borrowed from Hebrew golem, referring to an unformed or unfinished mass — the raw material before it becomes a living being.

From Japanese 朱鷺 (toki).

From Middle English kag, borrowed from Old Norse kaggi ("keg"), likely once meaning something like "stump" or "bush" before it came to mean a small barrel.

From Old Norse nei, "no" — a contraction of ne ("not") and ei ("ever"). A doublet of the modern word "no."

From Latin quintus, meaning "fifth" — the same root behind the modern word "quint."

From Middle English scǒuren, probably borrowed from Dutch or Low German words meaning to clean or polish, ultimately traced back to a Latin verb meaning \"to clean off.\"

From Old English hreod, referring to the wetland plant.

Middle French · 300

From Middle French martin, likely linked to the given name Martin, itself honoring a fourth-century soldier-saint.

From Old French monstre, from Latin monstrum — originally something viewed as an omen or warning sign, later "a freakish creature."

From Latin creatura, "a created thing," from creare, "to create" — originally used for anything that had been made, before narrowing to living beings.

A modern celebratory exclamation, likely shaped by "yeah" and "hooray."

From Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”). See also ditch.

A clipped, informal form of "fraternity."

From Old French chanter, from Latin cantare ("to sing") — a doublet of "cant."

From Old English freodom, built from "free" plus the suffix "-dom" (as in "kingdom"), literally meaning "the condition of being free."

From Old English "blæse," meaning a torch or flame, tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine."