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

Clipped from "fragmentation grenade."

A learned borrowing from Latin germanicus, built on "German" plus the adjective ending "-ic."

From Middle English "bunne," probably via Old French bugne ("bump, fritter"), ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "lump" or "clump."

From re- ("again") plus boot, the computing term for starting up a machine.

Formed from "bone" plus the agent suffix "-er."

Origin uncertain — most likely an imitative word, meant to sound like the act itself.

From aunt plus the affectionate suffix -ie, the same pattern as "doggie" or "movie."

From Old English gnætt, from a Germanic root ultimately connected to words meaning "to gnaw" or "scratch."

From Old French trier, "to sift, choose, or pick out," originally used for sorting grain or ore before it came to mean "attempt" or "test."

From Ancient Greek Amazon, the name of the legendary warrior women; a popular but unproven folk story claims it comes from Greek for "without a breast", referring to a myth that they removed one breast to draw a bow more easily.

From a Middle Dutch word for a wooden vessel made of curved staves. The sense shifted over time from a container to whatever was carried inside it — first a soldier's pack, then any bundle of gear, and eventually a boxed set of parts to assemble.

From Latin magus, from Greek magos, "magician", ultimately from an Old Iranian word for a Zoroastrian priest.

From Middle French jacquet, a diminutive of Old French jaque, an old term for a short coat.

From Middle English clothing, formed from clothe plus -ing.

From saint + -ly.

From "paste" plus the adjectival suffix "-y" — the noun sense (the pie) comes from the same "paste" root via the dough it's made of.

From Old English dæl, going back to a common Germanic root for "valley."

From Old French val ("valley"), from Latin vallis. It displaced the native Old English word "dell" in this sense.

From Latin ala, meaning "wing" — the same root that gives us "aisle."

Recorded in English from around 1500, likely from a child's early speech sounds — many unrelated languages have similar "da/ta" words for father, suggesting the word arose independently from baby babble rather than being inherited from one source.

From Latin duplex, "twofold," from duo ("two") plus plicare ("to fold").

From Old French saint, ultimately from Latin sanctus ("holy, consecrated").

From Middle English babe, likely related to Old English roots for "child", ultimately imitating baby-talk sounds like "ba" (compare "baby", "papa", "mama").

Formed from "agitate" plus the agent suffix "-or," meaning "one who agitates."