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 blakebird, a plain combination of black and bird.

From Old English stærling, combining stær ("starling") with the diminutive suffix "-ling," so it originally meant something like "little starling."

From Old English ūle, ultimately imitating the bird's cry, related to German Eule and Dutch uil.

A compound of "wood" and "pecker," describing its habit of pecking into wood.

From "Mag", a nickname for Margaret once used for a chatty person, combined with the old word "pie" meaning magpie, from Latin pica.

From Old French fesan, ultimately from Greek phasianos, "bird of the river Phasis," the river where the bird was said to have first been found by the Greeks.

From Old French perdriz, from Latin perdix, from Greek perdix — a word thought to imitate the whirring sound of the bird's wings in flight.

Formed from "out" and "come," describing what comes out of a situation.

From Old French proportion, from Latin proportio, from pro ("for, relative to") + portio ("share, part") — the same root as "portion."

From Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin potere, related to Latin posse, "to be able" — the same root as "potent" and "possible".

From Old French imposer, modelled on Latin imponere ("to place upon"), from in- + pono ("to place").

From Old French enforcier, from Late Latin infortiare, from in- + fortis ("strong") — literally "to make strong."

From Old French auctorité, from Latin auctōritās ("influence, command"), from auctor ("author, originator").

From Ancient Greek "hierarkhía" ("rule of a high priest"), from "hierarkhes" ("high priest"), combining "hieros" ("holy") and "arkho" ("to rule").

From Old English buterflēoge, literally "butter-fly." No one is fully sure why — theories range from the insect's yellowish color, an old belief that butterflies stole milk or butter, to a folk idea that they excreted a butter-like substance.

From Middle English pecok, combining pea (an old word for peafowl, from Latin pavo) with cock ("male bird").

From Old English spearwa, from a Proto-Germanic root shared with other words for small chirping birds.

From Old English titt, related to a Proto-Germanic word for teat or nipple.

From Latin apex, meaning "point, tip, or summit."

From Old English nihtegale, literally "night-singer," from night plus an old word related to "gale" meaning "song" or "call."

From Middle English gulle, from a Brythonic Celtic word for "seagull," related to Welsh gwylan.

From Old English swelgan, "to swallow, devour."

From Old French voutoir, from Latin vultur. It replaced the native Old English word for the bird, ufe.

From Old French "jai," possibly linked to a word meaning "quick" or "sudden," inspired by the bird's lively plumage and behaviour.