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 cruel, from Latin crūdēlis ("harsh, severe"), related to crūdus ("raw"), the same root as "crude."

From Latin complexus, past participle of complector, "to entwine or encircle," from com- ("together") plus plectere ("to weave" or "braid").

From Old French condicion, from Latin condicio ("agreement, stipulation").

From Anglo-Norman basket, of uncertain origin, possibly linked to Late Latin bascauda, "kettle" or "vessel."

From Old English cealc, ultimately borrowed from Latin calx ("limestone"), from Greek khalix ("pebble").

From Old English beforan, formed from be- plus foran ("in front"), ultimately going back to the same Indo-European root meaning "front" that also gives us "fore" and "forward."

From Old English brēad, from a prehistoric Germanic root connected with brewing or fermenting — likely referring originally to a "leavened" or "raised" dough rather than the flatbreads eaten earlier.

From Old French cheance ("luck, accident"), from Vulgar Latin cadentia ("a falling"), from Latin cadere ("to fall" or "to happen") — the same root behind "cadence."

From Old French bouton ("bud, knob"), from bouter ("to push, thrust") — a button is literally something that "pushes" through a hole.

From Old English bodig ("trunk, torso, height, stature"), from a Proto-Germanic root ultimately tied to Proto-Indo-European bhewdh-, "to be awake, to observe."

From Old English bāt, an ancient Germanic word for a small vessel.

From Middle English bagge, borrowed from an Old Norse word for a bag, pack, or bundle.

From Middle English, formed from "her" plus "-self."

From Old English him selfum, equivalent to him + self.

From Old English self/seolf, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "one's own," shared with German selbst and Dutch zelf.

From Middle English hit self, built from "it" plus the reflexive suffix "-self", the same pattern seen in "himself" and "herself".

Likely imitative of the sound bubbles make, related to "burble." The financial sense dates to the 1720 collapse of the South Sea Company, compared to an inflated soap bubble bursting.

From Old French simple, from Latin simplex ("onefold"), built from semel ("the same, once") plus plicare ("to fold") — literally "folded only once," as opposed to something duplex, or "twofold."

From Old English þing, which originally meant a public assembly or legal matter, before broadening over centuries to mean almost any object or topic.

From Old Norse *þóh and Old English þēah, both descending from a common Germanic word meaning "though" or "nevertheless."

From Old English hwistlian, an imitative word that mimics the sound it describes.

From Old French atendre, "to await, pay attention to," from Latin attendere, literally "to stretch toward."

From Old French plege, from Medieval Latin plevium, ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "to guarantee." Related to plight.

From Middle English whisteler, whistlar, whystelare, from Old English hwistlere (“a player on a flute; a piper”), equivalent to whistle + -er.