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 Latin aggredior ("to approach, attack"), from ad- ("toward") + gradior ("to step, walk").

From "handsome" + the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

From an Old English word for "weight" or "small amount," which narrowed over time in Scots and Northern English to mean simply "tiny".

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻaʻā, describing this rough type of solidified lava.

From French alerte, from the Italian phrase all'erta, "to the height" (i.e., watching from a tower or lookout).

From Inuktitut iglu, meaning "house" or "dwelling" of any kind — English narrowed the word to mean specifically the snow-block shelter.

From "synthesize" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From Middle English "kideney," of murky origin — likely a blend of an old word for "sack" (referring to the organ's pouch-like shape) and an older word for "kidney" itself, with the spelling reshaped to resemble "egg" (Middle English "ey").

From the name of the historical Hunnic people; later used as wartime slang for Germans, and, more loosely, for anyone destructive.

Origin uncertain, possibly related to Yiddish nudzhen ("to badger") or an alteration of "nudge," similar to how "wedge" became "wedgie."

From Latin arrogans, present participle of arrogare, "to claim for oneself" — from ad- ("to") + rogare ("to ask").

From Late Latin itinerarium, "a description of a route," from iter, "journey."

From Old English unwīs, from un- (\"not\") plus wise.

From "handle" plus "-ing," from Old English handlung.

From "hap," an old word for luck or chance — the same root as "happen" and "perhaps."

From Old English stēopfæder, combining "step-" with "father."

From Latin pinna, "a point or peak," the same root that gives English "pin."

From Old English pere, ultimately borrowed from Vulgar Latin pira — the word likely traces back to an unknown Mediterranean language rather than an Indo-European root.

From Latin Hispanicus, from Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula.

From "hand" + "made."

From "hand" + "kerchief" (itself from Old French couvre-chief, "cover for the head").

From Latin artificialis, from artificium ("a craft" or "skill"), built from ars ("skill") and facere ("to make").

From Old English þonne — originally the same word as "then," which split off as a separate spelling for comparisons.

From Old English heorot, "stag," related to a much older Indo-European word for "horn" — the same root that gives us the English word "horn."