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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An imitative sound, mimicking a slow or dim-witted response; related in spirit to "duh" and "dur."

Shortened from "index" (as in index finger), the finger used to make the pointing sign.

From Old English Rin, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow" — the same root behind the word run.

One of the earliest sounds babies make, adopted across many unrelated languages as a word for close family members like father or grandmother; the cake sense comes through French from Polish baba ("old woman").

From Old English þancian, related to the noun "thank" meaning gratitude or thought.

From the Roman god Vulcan, god of fire and metalworking. The Star Trek sense comes from the fictional planet Vulcan, itself named after the god by 19th-century astronomers proposing a hypothetical planet near the sun.

From an old word for "magpie", since the bird's black-and-white markings gave the word its meaning.

The "stream" sense comes from Old English broc; the verb sense ("to endure") comes separately from Old English brūcan, meaning "to use" or "enjoy" — the same root that gives us "broker."

From Old English hōc, meaning "angle" or "hook," from an ancient Germanic root for a bent peg or claw.

From Greek ō mega, literally "great O," distinguishing it from the short o of omicron.

From Latin omnibus, "for all," the dative plural of omnis — originally used to describe a carriage "for everyone."

From Old English tol ("implement"), from Proto-Germanic, ultimately related to a root meaning "to prepare."

Via Latin from Greek lexikon, short for lexikon biblion ("book of words"), from lexis ("word, speech").

From Old English spada, going back to a Proto-Germanic root also seen in the fencing term "spatha."

A shortened form of "bachelor" (or "bachelor pad").

From Old English ynce, borrowed from Latin uncia, meaning "a twelfth part" — the same root that gives us "ounce."

From an Old French word meaning "a throw" or "spurt", from Latin iacere, "to throw" — the same root behind words like "eject" and "project".

From Latin insectum, "cut into" — because an insect body appears divided into segments (head, thorax, abdomen). It is a loan translation of the Greek entomon, "insect," which means the same thing.

From Old English lus, an ancient Germanic word for the insect, going back to Proto-Indo-European roots shared across many European languages.

From Old English elements meaning "noble" and "bright," reinforced later by the Old French/Latin form Albertus; related to the name Ethelbert.

From French bonne, the feminine form of "bon," meaning good.

From Old English wel, meaning "abundantly, fully, in a desired way" — ultimately from a root meaning "to wish" or "desire," the same root behind the word "will."

Formed from "cross" plus "walk."

From Old English flea, from a very old Germanic word for the insect.