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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A noun/adjective formed from the phrasal verb "knock out."

Traces back through Old French and Latin to an ancient word in a South Asian language meaning roughly "horn root", describing the knobbly shape of the rhizome.

A noun formed from the phrasal verb "knock off," in the sense of quickly copying something.

From Old English cnocian, "to knock, pound, or beat," an ancient Germanic word related to knuckle.

Origin unclear, but likely connected to the legal Latin word quibus ("in what respect?"), which cropped up so often in wordy legal documents that it became linked with pointless nitpicking.

From Middle English fishi, equivalent to fish plus -y.

From Latin gymnasium, from Greek gymnasion ("exercise, school"), rooted in gymnos ("naked") — Greek athletes trained without clothes.

From Old English altar and Old French auter, both from Latin altāre — likely linked to a word meaning "burning place," and later shaped by altus, "high."

From Greek arkhaiologia, "study of ancient things", from arkhaios, "ancient", plus logos, "study".

From "rain" + "fall" — literally the falling of rain, later used for the measured amount that falls.

A fusion of "be" and "gone" — literally telling someone to "be gone," i.e., to leave at once.

From French technique, itself from Greek tekhnikos ("of art or craft"), related to tekhne ("skill, craft").

From Korean soju (소주), literally "burned liquor" — a relative of the Japanese drink shochu.

Borrowed from Japanese judo, literally "the soft way."

From Old English ǣl, a very old Germanic word for the fish, related to similar words in Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages.

From Old French majesté, from Latin maiestas, related to Latin maior ("greater").

Likely a shortened form of "gridiron" or "griddle" — both refer to something made of crossing bars.

A shortened form of "gymnasium."

From Middle French parfum, ultimately from Latin per ("through") and fumare ("to smoke"), originally referring to scented smoke.

Ultimately from the same Hebrew root as "John," via Old French Jehan.

Formed from the phrasal verb "stand out," turned into a single noun and adjective.

From up- + standing.

From Latin sabbaticus, ultimately from the same root as "Sabbath" — the idea of a period of rest built into a cycle.

From Arabic khalīfa ("successor"), via Old French caliphe and Medieval Latin calipha.