Etymology — The origins of English words

From Old English cwiculīċe, built on "quick" (meaning "lively" or "alive") plus the adverb ending "-ly."

From Latin nocturnus, derived from nox ("night"), the same root behind words like "equinox."

From Old French pelote ("small ball"), from Latin pila ("ball").

From Old French "cornet," a diminutive form ultimately from Latin "cornu" ("horn").

A straightforward combination of "sling" and "shot" — a device that slings a shot.

From Old French sequence, from Late Latin sequentia, "a following," from Latin sequī, "to follow."

From urinate + -ion.

Borrowed from French groupe, from Italian gruppo ("knot, cluster"), possibly linked to a Germanic root for a lump or bunch — the same root that gave English crop.

From Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium, related to "direct."

Originally meant a fixed regulation or standard amount, from Old French assise ("assize"), ultimately from Latin sedere, "to sit."

From Latin Genua, likely from an ancient Ligurian word related to "knee", describing the city's position at a bend of land or water.

From Latin cardinalis, "pertaining to a hinge," from cardo, "hinge" — something a cardinal rule or point everything else "turns" on.

From "Vietnam" plus the ending "-ese," which forms nationality words (as in "Japanese" or "Chinese").

From Old French information, from Latin informatio, "a forming of an idea," from informare — see inform.

From French "précédence," built on "precede" plus the noun suffix "-ence."

From Latin poena ("punishment"), via French pénalité.

From Old English cyrin/cyrne (the container) and cernan (to stir), of unclear deeper origin, related to Dutch karn and German Kirne.

From Late Latin centennis, "of a hundred years," plus the adjective ending "-al."

From "beef" plus "cake," coined by analogy with "cheesecake," an older slang term for images of attractive women.

Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.

A straightforward compound of "ball" (a formal dance) and "room."

From Corsica plus the suffix -an, meaning "belonging to."

From Latin astralis, from astrum ("star"), from Greek ástron.

From Latin asininus, "of a donkey" — the same root as ass, the animal known for stubbornness.