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 dæfte ("mild, fitting"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "suitable." A doublet of "daft," which took a very different meaning path over the centuries.

From Old French moral, from Latin mōrālis, "relating to manners or morals," coined by Cicero to translate the Greek ēthikós.

From Old French felicité, from Latin fēlīcitās, "happiness, good fortune," from fēlīx, "fortunate, fruitful."

From Italian medaglia, originally meaning "half a denarius" (a Roman coin), from Late Latin mediālis ("middle").

Borrowed from French médaillon, itself from Italian medaglia ("medal").

From French prude, from Old French prude/prod, "good, virtuous" — related to proud, but not related to prudent.

From colony plus the verb suffix -ize.

Reading of UFO as a word in its own right.

The "heavy drinking" sense dates from the 1840s, likely tied to the old phrase "bend the elbow" (to drink).

From closet plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

From Old French closet, a small private space, itself from clos ("enclosed") plus the diminutive ending -et.

A straightforward compound of bare + back — riding directly on the horse's back.

From Old French taster, meaning to touch, feel, or taste, going back to a Latin word meaning to touch sharply — related to "tangent" and "tangible."

From Old English sur, from Proto-Germanic *suraz — the same ancient root that gives German sauer and Dutch zuur.

Borrowed from Italian crescendo, "growing", from crescere, "to grow" — originally a musical instruction to play increasingly loudly.

Popularized in American children's TV in the 1950s, later linked to surfing culture, and made famous worldwide by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

From "photo-" ("light") plus "-genic" ("producing" or "suited to").

From Old English styrne ("severe, strict"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "angry" or "shocked."

From Old English utmest, from ut ("out") plus the superlative suffix -mest, related to "outmost."

From Japanese yakuza, originally a term from a losing hand in a card game — meaning "good for nothing" — later applied to gangsters.

From Latin trias, ultimately from Greek trias, "a group of three." The criminal-society sense comes from British colonial officials in Hong Kong naming underground societies after a triangular symbol some of them used.

From Old English tange, related to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to bite."

From Old English tange, related to German Zange — ultimately from a root meaning "to bite," since tongs grip like a pair of jaws. The unrelated "Chinese association" sense comes from a different, Cantonese-derived word.

Coined from Greek prōteîos ("primary, of first importance") by chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, suggesting these molecules are fundamental to life.