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 Old French paiier, ultimately from Latin pacare ("to pacify, satisfy") — the idea being that paying a debt settles or "pacifies" it.

A back-formation from "part-taking," modeled on the Latin particeps, "one who takes part."

From Old English slǣpan, a very old Germanic verb with cousins in Dutch (slapen) and German (schlafen) that all mean "to sleep."

From Middle English overthrowen, formed from over- + throw.

From Middle English overtaken, built from over- + take, replacing an older verb overnimen with the same meaning.

From over- + sleep, going back to Old English ofer- ("over") and slǣpan ("to sleep").

From Old English ofersēon, built from over- + see.

Built from over- + run.

From Old English oferrīdan ("to ride over"), built from over- + ride; German überreiten is a cognate.

From Old English oferleċġan, built from over- + lay; German überlegen is a cognate.

From Medieval Latin tendentia, from tendens, the present participle of the Latin verb tendere ("to stretch, tend toward").

From Old English oferhīeran, from over- + hear.

From Old English þīnes selfes, combining thy with self.

Formed from them + selves.

From German Leukämie, built from Greek leukos, "white," and haima, "blood" — referring to the excess white blood cells seen in the disease.

From Latin cella, "small room or storage chamber" — the same root behind "cellar."

From late Middle English brik/bryke, borrowed from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German words for a broken tile or slab, ultimately linked to "break" — a brick was originally thought of as a shaped, broken-off piece.

From beauty + -ful, entering English via Old French from Latin bellus, "pretty."

From Old French cote, "outer garment", from Latin cotta, "tunic", ultimately from a Proto-Germanic word for woolen cloth.

From Latin curvus, "bent," tracing back to a very old root meaning "to bend or turn" that also gave English "curb" and "cancer" (via the curled shape of a crab).

From Old French cortine, from Late Latin cortina, "curtain" — itself a loan-translation of a Greek word.

From Old French branche, from Late Latin branca ("paw, claw") — the word originally pictured a tree limb reaching out like a claw.

From Old English brycg, itself from a much older Germanic root meaning a wooden walkway or plank crossing — related to German Brücke and Dutch brug.

From Old English butere, ultimately from Greek boutyron, a compound of "ox/cow" and "cheese." The word entered English through Latin.