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 frire, from Latin frīgō, "to roast or fry."

From French bistro(t), first recorded around the 1880s meaning "tavern keeper", of uncertain regional dialect origin.

From "alcohol" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-ic"; first recorded in English in 1891.

From Medieval Latin obiectum, literally "thrown against," from Latin obicere ("to throw in the way of"), from ob- + iacere ("to throw").

A shortening of "nuclear weapon"; the verb developed later from the noun.

From Latin appropriare, "to make one's own," from proprius, "one's own, private" — the same root as property and proper.

By surface analysis, approach + -ing.

From Old French aprochier, from Late Latin appropiare, built on Latin prope, "near."

From Old French aprentis, related to apprendre, "to learn" — from the same root as apprehend.

From Latin apprehensio, "a taking hold of" — the same root as apprehend and comprehend.

From Old French apprehender, from Latin apprehendere, "to grab hold of," from ad- + prehendere, "to seize."

The "equal/pair" sense traces to Old English mæcca ("companion, mate"); the "fire-stick" sense is a separate, later development referring to a wick or fuse used to carry flame.

From French réfugié, "one who has taken refuge," originally describing French Protestants fleeing religious persecution in the 1680s; the modern broader sense of civilians fleeing war dates to World War I.

From Old French bataille, ultimately from Latin battuo, "to beat or strike."

From Old Norse Þórr, the name of the Norse thunder god; related to Old English Þunor.

A compound of clock and the suffix -wise, meaning "in the manner or direction of."

From Old English oxan, an old plural form that survives in modern English alongside children and brethren, going back to a Germanic root for "ox."

From Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha, literally "water of life" — the same phrase that also gave French its word eau-de-vie.

From Latin ferus ("wild, savage") plus the adjective suffix "-al."

* (surname): The surname is an Old English byname for a Welshman or Breton, from Old French waleis (“foreign”). The Welsh hamlet may be derived from this.

From Latin infinitus, "unbounded," from in- ("not") plus finis ("end").

From Medieval Latin Uronia, possibly from Latin ora (“edge, brim”), or from the pre-Roman substrate hydronym *wer (“water”) + the Latin suffix -n-. More at Uri.

From Latin finitus, "limited" or "bounded," the past participle of finire, "to finish" or "set a limit."

From French "luzerne"; the Swiss city of Lucerne shares the spelling but not a confirmed common origin.