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 pass and word — originally the secret word a sentry required before letting someone through, long before it referred to computer logins.

From Latin nota ("mark, sign, note"), via Old French and Middle English note.

Borrowed from French menu ("small, detailed"), from Latin minūtus — the same root as "minute" (small).

From the Kannada language’s own name for itself, kannada.

From Old French devis/devise, ultimately from Latin dīvidere, "to divide" — the sense shifted from "a division or plan" to "a designed thing" over centuries.

From Old English mylen ("mill") or middel ("middle") plus tun ("settlement").

From Latin oriens, "rising" — the present participle of orior, "to rise" — since the sun rises in the east, "orient" came to mean both "east" and, as a verb, "to figure out which way you're facing."

From New Latin burglaria, built on "burglar" plus the noun ending "-y".

From Old French povre, from Latin pauper — the same root that gives us "pauper."

Of uncertain origin, possibly from an Old Turkic word meaning "hilly, mountainous place."

From mold plus the suffix -ing.

From Old English mildēaw, itself a blend of an old Germanic word for "honey" and "dew" — an old poetic image for the sticky, dew-like film fungus can leave behind.

From "slime" plus the adjective suffix "-y," replacing an older Old English word for the same idea.

Formed from "ripe" plus the verb-forming suffix "-en."

From French gourmet, originally meaning a wine merchant's servant or wine-taster, related to English "groom".

From Middle English tanglen, likely of North Germanic origin, related to Old Norse words for seaweed and disorder.

From Greek zōîon ("animal") plus lógos ("study, knowledge") — a near-parallel formation to "biology."

From Latin obsoletus, "worn out, gone out of use", from obsolescere, "to fall into disuse" — the source of the word "obsolescence".

From Old French esquacher, meaning "to crush," influenced by another Old French word meaning "to shatter."

By surface analysis, bloom + -ing.

From Latin dissertatio, from dissertare, "to discuss, debate."

Borrowed via Ottoman Turkish from Arabic ḥaram, meaning something forbidden or a sanctuary, related to the word haram.

From Latin delegatus, "sent" or "assigned" — related to "legate," an official envoy.

Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Greek mōrós ("foolish, dull"); it was originally a clinical classification before becoming a general insult.