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 slāwlīce, simply "slow" plus the adverb ending "-ly" — it has meant "at an unhurried pace" for well over a thousand years.

Formed from "cross" plus "word." The modern crossword puzzle was invented in 1913 by Arthur Wynne; the name "crossword" appeared shortly after, possibly as a shortened form of his original term "word-cross."

Formed from "stand" plus "still," originally as a deverbal from the phrase "stand still."

A calque (word-for-word translation) of the German Standpunkt, literally "standing point."

Likely from a West African language, possibly related to Kimbundu mbanza or a similar term, carried into English through African-American speech in the American South.

From "whack" — originally describing someone who'd taken one too many knocks to the head, hence "odd" — plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y".

From Italian zanni, the name of a clowning stock character in old Italian comedy, itself a form of the name Giovanni (John).

Built from "technic" (relating to a craft or skill) plus the suffix "-ian," which denotes a person who practises something.

From French tricycle, built from tri- ("three") plus cycle.

Built from uni- ("one") + cycle, on the model of "bicycle" and "tricycle".

From ply ("to bend") plus the agent suffix -er, with the plural -s reflecting the tool's two joined handles.

An imitative word that copies the sound of sneezing.

An imitation of the sound of clearing one's throat.

From Old English gārlēac, literally "spear-leek" — a reference to the plant's sharp, pointed leaves.

A noun formed from the phrasal verb "turn out", originally describing people or things "turning out" (showing up) somewhere.

Formed from the verb phrase "turn around," describing a reversal in direction or fortune.

From "photo-" ("light") plus "-graph" ("writing" or "drawing"), literally "drawing with light."

Ultimately from Old English laþian ("to invite, summon"); the "turning machine" sense developed later and its exact link to the older word is debated.

Old English · 1500

From Old English hund, "dog." In medieval English hound was the everyday word for dog, while "dog" referred to a bulldog-like breed — the two swapped roles by the 1500s.

Coined in the 1800s from Latin tuberculum ("small swelling") plus -osis ("diseased condition"), because the infection produces small lump-like nodules, or tubercles, in the lungs. For centuries before this scientific name existed, English simply called the disease "consumption," since it seemed to consume the sufferer's body away.

From under- + line.

A clipped, shortened form of "hyperbole."

From psychiatry plus the agent suffix -ist.

From dermatology (Greek derma, "skin," + -logy, "study of") + -ist.