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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Formed from power + the suffix -ful, meaning "full of".

From Romanian București, from Bucur (a personal name) plus -ești (a patronymic suffix).

From "Tom" plus "cat," popularized by the 1760 book "The Life and Adventures of a Cat," in which the male cat character was named Tom.

From Middle English catirpel, likely from Old Northern French words meaning "hairy cat," combining Late Latin catta ("cat") with pilosa ("hairy").

A one-word run-together spelling of "all right".

From back + board.

From Old English upp, up, from Proto-Germanic *upp — one of the oldest and most basic words in the language, related to "over" and "above."

From Old French direccion, ultimately from Latin dīrēctiō.

From Latin prīmus, "the first," related to prior.

A learned borrowing from Latin pagina ("page"); it shares its root with the everyday word "page".

Built from the verb bereave ("to deprive of, especially by death") plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

From Middle English bout/bought, related to "bow" and "bight" — the idea of a "turn" or "bend" in an activity.

From Old English denn, "lair of a beast," related to a Proto-West Germanic word for a threshing floor or pasture.

From Afrikaans bok, a doublet of the English word "buck."

From Middle English kennen, "to make known, understand", from Old English cennan, "to declare, give birth to, beget" — related to the modern word kin.

A learned borrowing from Latin ren, "kidney."

From Old English torr ("high rock, tower"), ultimately traced back to Latin turris ("tower").

From puritanic (relating to the Puritans) plus the adjective suffix -al.

From Old English træppe, "trap, snare," from a Germanic root meaning "to tread or stamp" — related to "step" and "tread."

From Old English lungen, related to an ancient root meaning "light" — lungs were named for how light they are (they float, being full of air), the same root that gives us the word "light."

From Old French "lus/luis," ultimately from Latin "lucius," meaning pike.

Borrowed from French, from the adjective local used as a noun.

Shortened from Italian caffè latte, literally "milk coffee".

Borrowed from Italian largo, meaning "broad" or "slow," from Latin largus.