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 mys, the plural form of mus ("mouse"), which survived intact into Modern English despite most other irregular plurals disappearing over time.

From Old English sæ, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "body of water."

From Old French reyne/resne, going back to Latin retinere, "to hold back" — the same root as retain.

From Middle English kiken, likely from an Old Norse word meaning "to bend backwards at the knee", describing the motion of striking out with the leg.

An onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of laughter, attested since the early 1300s.

From Middle English a ha, formed from "ah" plus "ha."

From Middle English ah, of imitative origin — a natural sound people make, found across many related languages.

Onomatopoeia of the natural expression of thought. Compare with er.

From Old English bæth, going back to a very old Germanic root meaning "to warm" — the same root gives us "bathe."

A nominalization of the phrase "put out" — literally "that which is put out."

From Middle English abece, ABC, from the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, standing for the whole alphabet.

Likely an alteration of the older word plash, with an added initial "s" as seen in words like spatter and spill.

From Old French magique, from Latin magicus, from Greek magikós, from mágos ("magus"), ultimately from an Old Persian term for a Zoroastrian priest.

From Old English ceallian and Old Norse kalla, both meaning "to call out or shout," from a shared Germanic root.

Its exact origin is debated. Some trace it to German autsch by way of Pennsylvania German communities in the 1800s; others say it's simply a natural pain-cry that English speakers have used since the 1600s.

From "hang" plus the agent suffix "-er" — something used to hang things on.

From un- (\"not\") plus trustworthy.

From Old French ordre, from Latin ōrdō, "a row" — originally referring to the row of threads on a loom.

Japanese · 1950

From Japanese kata, literally "form" or "pattern"; the programming sense is a modern borrowing of the martial-arts term, in English use since the 1950s.

From trust + -worthy.

From Middle English "hey"/"hei," an ancient exclamation found in a similar form across many unrelated languages — likely just a natural sound people make to call attention.

Origin unknown, possibly a blend of squash, quell, and quench.

Attested since the 1920s, likely a shortened, natural-sounding form related to "whoops" and "upsy-daisy."

From screw + ball, describing the pitch's odd twisting motion; the sense of "crazy person" grew out of that same idea of something spinning off in an unexpected direction.