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 Middle English outleten, "to let out" — built from out- + let, the same "let" as in "let someone through."

From French franc, related to "frank" and "Frank" (the Germanic people) — a doublet of both.

From Old English sacu, "cause, dispute, legal case," related to the verb "seek."

From Middle French incorrigible, from Latin incorrigibilis, from in- ("not") plus corrigere ("to correct").

From Middle English therfore, a fusion of there and for, reshaped over time as if from there plus fore.

From Old French communité, from Latin communitas ("community, fellowship"), from communis ("common").

From Middle English dumpen, likely from Old Norse dumpa, "to thump" — originally suggesting the sound of something being dropped heavily.

Coined in German in 1868 by Karl-Maria Kertbeny from Greek homo- ("same") + Latin sexualis, and later carried into English.

A fusion of the two words "for ever," first written as one word by the late 17th century.

From Old English mearc, meaning "boundary" or "sign" — the same ancient root that gives us "march" (a border region).

From Middle English lasshe, referring to the flexible end of a whip, from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "strap" or "flap of fabric."

From back + lash.

From French charade, probably from Occitan charrada ("chat, chatter"), from charrar ("to chat").

From Middle English moisture, from Old French moistour, "dampness."

From Old French humide, from Latin humidus ("moist").

A Late Middle English variant of "shrub," originally describing a stunted tree — the cleaning sense developed separately, likely from the rough scrubbing brush used for scouring.

From Old English flōr ("floor, pavement"), from a Germanic root going back to a Proto-Indo-European word for "flat."

From Middle English mappe, probably ultimately from Latin mappa, "napkin, cloth" — the same root as "map" and "napkin."

From Ancient Greek sunergia, "cooperation," from syn- ("with, together") and ergon ("work").

From Old French sieute/suite, meaning things that "follow" together as a set — the same root that gave English suite, since the pieces of a suit of clothes are worn following one another.

From Old French plait/plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum ("a decree" or "that which pleases"). Related to please and pleasure.

From Late Latin suspensionem, "hanging, arching," from suspendere — from sub- ("under") plus pendere ("to hang").

Formed from "out" plus the suffix "-age," on the model of "shortage."

A compound of "sky" and "scraper", first used for tall steel-framed buildings in American cities like New York and Chicago during the 1880s.