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 nail + bourne (“seasonal stream or brook”). The etymology of the first part is uncertain. It may derive from ail via a rebracketing of an ailbourne as a nailbourne; compare similar cases such as English newt and nickname.

From mono- + sexual. In the second sense, by analogy with bisexual.

From mis- + demean.

From meat + space, by analogy with cyberspace. Compare in the flesh and meatbag.

From mayhap + -s.

From Middle English nevelinge, nevelyng, neuelinge (“flat down”, adverb), equivalent to nuel + -ling. More at nuel.

From merry + making.

From muscle + man.

From money + grubber.

From mnemotechny + -ist.

First attested 1900, from German Menarche, formed from meno- + -arche.

From muscle + -ful.

Malapropism of Latin sumpsimus, form of sūmō (“to take”), from a story of an old monk who misrecited the Eucharist with quod in ōre mumpsimus instead of quod in ōre sumpsimus “which we have taken into the mouth”, and stubbornly continued using the incorrect form even after being corrected. Attested 1530 in The Practice of Prelates by William Tyndale, variously attributed to Richard Pace (1517) or Desiderius Erasmus.

From micro- + code.

From Ancient Greek νάρκωσις (nárkōsis). By surface analysis, narco- + -osis.

Attested since the late 15th century, Middle English mysse masche, probably a reduplication of mash, although a Yiddish origin or influence has also been suggested. Cognates include Saterland Frisian Miskmask and German Mischmasch.

Variant of McMillan.

From Byzantine Greek μονοφυσιτισμός (monophusitismós), from μόνος (mónos, “only one”) + φύσις (phúsis, “nature”) + -ισμός (-ismós, “-ism”), hence “belief in a single nature”.

From name + word. Compare Dutch naamwoord (“nameword, noun (sensu lato)”) and German Namenwort.

From Scots mingin (“stinking”), present participle of ming (“to stink”), from Middle English mengen (“to mix”), from Old English mengan (“to mix”).

From Middle English mukel, muchel, from the same source as (perhaps a variant of) mickle.

From Middle English medlere, medelere, equivalent to meddle + -er.

From French motte, from Anglo-Norman/Old French motte (“mound, hillock”). Doublet of moat.