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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An imitation of the sound itself (onomatopoeia), replacing the older English word "mew" in the 19th century.

From Latin concubina, from concumbere ("to lie together"), plus the feminine suffix -ina.

From French matinée, related to matin, "morning."

From French hangar ("shed"), ultimately from an Old Frankish word meaning an enclosure near a house.

Originally coined in 1870s Louisiana for someone who intimidated others by force; the earthmoving machine was later named after that sense, figuratively.

From Middle English hasty, formed from "haste" plus "-y," mirrored by similar words in other Germanic languages.

Formed from "haste" plus the verb-forming suffix "-en," on the pattern of words like "sweeten" or "loosen."

From Old French haste, ultimately from a Frankish word for violent action — the sense mellowed over time to mean simple speed or urgency.

From Middle English horien ("to rush"), probably related to Proto-Germanic roots meaning "to rush" or "to vibrate rapidly" — distantly connected to the word rush itself.

From Old English piper, from Latin piper, ultimately borrowed from an ancient Indian language (compare Sanskrit pippali, "long pepper").

From Old English spere, going back to a Proto-Germanic root for a pointed weapon; related to German Speer.

From Old English wegan ("to carry, move, weigh"), from a very old root meaning "to carry or transport" — a distant relative of "vector" and "wagon".

From Old English þrysċe, going back to a very old Indo-European word for the bird, also seen in Latin turdus.

From Middle English, combining "Mary" (the Virgin Mary) with an old word for the flower, "golde."

From Old English brȳd, an ancient Germanic word for "bride" found in close relatives across nearly every Germanic language, including German Braut and Dutch bruid.

From French marionnette, originally a small figure of the Virgin Mary used in religious plays before the word came to mean any string puppet.

Short for "bridegroom," from Old English brydguma ("bride" + "man"); the spelling was later reshaped by association with "groom" meaning a servant who tends horses.

Origin uncertain; possibly related to a Danish word meaning "nonsense," via Middle Low German.

Borrowed from French ambulance, shortened from hopital ambulant ("mobile hospital"), from Latin ambulare, "to walk about".

From reluct (an older verb meaning "to struggle against") plus the noun-forming suffix -ance, ultimately from Latin reluctari, "to struggle against, resist."

From Latin reluctans, "struggling against" — from re- ("back") + luctari ("to struggle").

From Old English hwæg, of West Germanic origin, related to Dutch wei — the word has referred to this milky by-product since before written English records.

From Middle English butter-melke, equivalent to butter plus milk.

From Middle English words for a "refuge for an animal," ultimately related to "borough" and "bury" — all connected to the idea of a protected, dug-out shelter.