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 efenlīċe, built from even + -ly.

From bubble plus the adjective suffix -y.

From Anglo-Norman remaindre, an infinitive used as a noun meaning "that which stays behind."

From Old English gōma ("palate"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "palate," ultimately linked to a word meaning "to gape or yawn."

From Old English ceowan, part of an old Germanic word family shared with Dutch kauwen and German kauen, going back to a very old root meaning "to grind" or "gnaw."

Borrowed from Hindi mahal, from Arabic mahall, "place".

Borrowed from Chinese 狄 (Dí).

From Latin expendere ("to pay out"), the same root as "expend"; has largely replaced the older word "dear" in the sense of "costly."

From French insecticide — insect plus -icide, "killer of."

From Latin navalis, "of ships," from navis, "ship."

A clipped form of "photograph," itself from Greek photo- ("light") plus -graph ("writing" or "recording").

From Old English ate, tracing back through Proto-Germanic to a root meaning "to swell" — likely referring to the swelling grain.

From Latin applicans, the present participle of applicare, "to apply."

From Latin applausus, "a clapping," from applaudere, "to applaud."

From Old French apetit, from Latin appetitus, "a longing for," from appetere, "to strive after" — ad- ("toward") + petere ("to seek").

From Latin apparentia, from apparere, "to appear."

From Latin reducere, \"to lead back,\" from re- (\"back\") plus ducere (\"to lead\").

From Tagalog kuya, ultimately from a Hokkien Chinese term for an elder brother.

From Latin apparere, "to appear," from ad- ("to") plus parere ("to come forth, be visible").

Middle French · 1540

From Middle French cavalerie, via Italian cavalleria. In English since the 1540s; a doublet of "chivalry."

From Old French enseigne, from Latin insignia, meaning a mark or distinguishing sign. A doublet of "insignia."

From Old French lieu ("place") + tenant ("holder") — literally someone "holding the place" of a superior.

From Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitaneus, "chief," ultimately from Latin caput, "head" — the same root as "capital" and "chief."

From "bi-" ("two") plus "sexual". Originally an 18th-century botanical term for plants with both male and female parts; it took on its modern meaning about human sexuality in the late 1800s through early sexology writing.