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 Italian lava, originally a dialect word from the Naples area meaning a stream that overflows onto the street, likely tracing back to Latin labes, "a fall or collapse."

From Latin accommodare, "to make fit," built from ad- ("to") plus commodus ("suitable, convenient") — the same root that gives us "commodity."

From Latin Venetianus, from Venetia (the lands of the ancient Veneti people, and later the name for Venice and its region).

From Latin Neapolitanus, from Greek Neapolis, "new city" — the ancient Greek name for Naples.

Traced to Scottish English bonnie, meaning fine or beautiful, of uncertain deeper origin.

From Hebrew mikha'el, meaning "who is like God?" — a rhetorical question used as a name. It reached English through Greek, Latin, and Old French.

From Old French punissement, from punir, "to punish."

From Old French punir, from Latin punire, "to inflict punishment," from poena, "penalty."

From Latin salarium, "wages," from salarius, "related to salt" — possibly because it originally covered money for buying salt, though the exact history is debated.

From Old French levier, "a lifter," from Latin levare, "to raise."

From Old French circuit, from Latin circuitus, "a going around" — from circum ("around") plus ire ("to go").

From electron plus the adjective suffix -ic.

From French châssis, from Latin capsa ("case, box").

From Latin mechanicus, from Greek mēkhanikós ("relating to machines").

From Old English steam, "vapor, hot exhalation," from a Germanic root also connected to the Dutch stoom.

From eject + -or ("thing that does").

From tele- ("far") and vision, first recorded around 1900, likely influenced by a paper on the concept by Constantin Perskyi presented in Paris that same year.

Coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book Utopia, from Greek ou ("not") + topos ("place") — literally "no place."

Borrowed from French restaurant, originally meaning "restorative," from restaurer ("to restore"). It first named a nourishing soup sold in early Parisian eating houses before coming to mean the establishment itself.

From Greek paradeigma ("pattern"), from paradeiknymi ("to show side by side, compare").

From Medieval Latin transparens, "shining through," from Latin trans- ("through") plus parere ("to appear").

From page + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 3).

From Yiddish כּשר (kosher), from Hebrew כָּשֵׁר (kasher), meaning "fit" or "proper".

From Old English forca, from Latin furca ("pitchfork, forked stake").