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 French honesté, ultimately from Latin honestus; the plant sense comes from the way its seeds show through its papery pods.

From Old French honeste, from Latin honestus, related to honor.

From Old English stybb, meaning "tree stump," later extended to any short, blunt remnant.

From fire and man.

From Old English wafian ("to wave, to waver"), tracing back to a very old root meaning "to move to and fro."

Middle French · 1520

From Middle French biais, "sideways" or "at a slant," first used in English around 1520 for an oblique line, then borrowed into the game of bowls for a ball's curving path — which gave us the figurative "leaning" sense.

From Old English wis, meaning "knowledgeable" or "wise," tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to see" — the same root that gives us "wit" and "vision."

From Anglo-Norman traverser, "to cross," originally an occupational name for a toll collector at a crossing.

From subvert plus the adjective suffix -ive.

From Old English dēofol, borrowed from Latin diabolus, from Greek diábolos, "slanderer" — literally "one who throws something across" (in someone's path).

From earlier pad lock (19th c.); Middle English padlock, padlokke, from pad-, of unknown origin, + lok (“lock”). Perhaps originally a lock for a pad (“gate”), or a gate opening to a path, or a lock for a basket or pannier, from UK dialect pad (“a pannier”).

Borrowed from French entrepreneur, from entreprendre, "to undertake."

From Latin consistere, "to stand together, remain firm" — com- ("together") plus sistere ("to stand").

Likely related to bogle, an old word for a goblin or specter, itself possibly from a Welsh or Germanic root meaning "ghost" or "swollen thing."

A dialectal word from Northern England of unknown origin, unrelated to "bogey" the ghost.

From Old English "smeortan," meaning to feel a sharp, stinging pain — the sense of "intelligent" developed later from the idea of a sharp, quick mind.

* From Latin Martha, from Ancient Greek Μάρθα (Mártha), from Aramaic מָרְתָא (mārtā, “mistress”), feminine of מרא (mārā). Doublet of Marfa. * (humidity chamber): From the use of Martha Stewart-branded storage closets in the construction of early units.

The Italian word for Italy, from Latin Italia.

From Islam plus the adjective-forming suffix -ic.

From Islam plus the suffix -ist, used since the late 20th century for political movements built around Islamic law.

From Old French anuler, from Latin annullo, "to bring to nothing" — from ad- ("to") plus nullus ("none").

A compound of god and -like.

From god plus the adjectival suffix -ly.

From Old English lā, an exclamation of surprise or emotion, later linked with "look."