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 Greek oikonomía, "household management," from oîkos ("house") plus némō ("to manage" or "allocate") — the word originally described running a household well before it grew to mean running a whole economy.

From Spanish/Portuguese negro, "black," from Latin niger.

From Hawaiian hono ("bay, harbor") + lulu ("shelter"), roughly meaning "sheltered harbor".

Borrowed directly from the Finnish name Helsinki.

Named after Havana, the capital of Cuba, whose name comes from the Taíno word sabana ("savannah") via the name of a local chief.

From a Brythonic Celtic phrase meaning roughly "the dear green place," combining words for "green" and "hollow."

From Old French detriement, from Latin detrimentum ("loss, damage" — literally "a rubbing away"), from deterere ("to wear down").

Borrowed from French illicite, from Latin illicitus — in- ("not") + licitus ("allowed").

From Greek pūramís, possibly linked to a word for wheat cake, or possibly from an ancient Egyptian phrase meaning "height of a pyramid."

From Latin acutus ("sharp, sharpened"), the past participle of acuere ("to sharpen"), from acus ("needle").

From Latin obtusus, "blunt, dull", past participle of obtundere, "to beat against, blunt" — from ob- plus tundere, "to strike".

The past-participle form of hallow, "to make holy."

From Old English segl, from Proto-Germanic *seglą — related to German Segel and Dutch zeil.

From Old French barre ("beam, bar, barrier"), from Vulgar Latin barra, of uncertain further origin.

From Middle English gere, borrowed from Old Norse gervi meaning "equipment" or "preparation."

A compound of "rail" and "road."

From Old French, from Latin insolens ("unaccustomed, arrogant"), from in- + solere ("to be accustomed").

From Greek plastikos, "able to be molded," from plassein, "to mold or form" — the same root as "plasma."

Borrowed from French Florence f, from Latin Flōrentia (as a given name, a feminine form of Flōrentius), from flōrens (“flowering, flourishing”), from flōs (“flower”), connected with English bloom and blossom. Doublet of Firenze. The female given name gained popularity from Florence Nightingale who was born in the Tuscan city.

From Middle Irish Dublind, from dub ("black") + lind ("pool") — "black pool".

From Ancient Greek Krḗtē.

From Low German Kopenhagen, a calque (perhaps modified by folk etymology) of Danish København. See also chapman, haven.

Named after the German city of Cologne, where this style of citrus-based fragrance was first developed in the early 1700s.

Named after the Caraca people who lived in the region before Spanish colonization.