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 entreprise, "something undertaken," from entreprendre, "to undertake."

From Old French aconter, "to reckon, count," ultimately from Latin computare — the same root as "compute" and "count."

From Latin sententia, "opinion, way of thinking," from sentiō, "to feel or think."

From Ancient Greek suntaxis, "arrangement," from syn- ("together") and tassein ("to arrange").

From Old English foresēon, literally "to see beforehand" — fore- ("before") + see.

From Old English forgān ("to go away, forgo") — for- + go.

From Old English foregān, equivalent to fore- + go.

The past participle of forbid.

From Old English forbēodan, built from for- ("away") + a root meaning "to command" — related to German verbieten.

From Old English flogen, the past participle of fleogan ("to fly").

From Middle English flew, flow, from Old English flēag, flug-, from Proto-Germanic *flaug, *flug-, past tense forms of Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”). Compare Saterland Frisian flooch (“flew”), West Frisian fleach (“flew”), Dutch vloog (“flew”), German flog (“flew”), Danish fløj (“flew”), Swedish flög (“flew”), Icelandic flaug (“flew”).

From Old English flēoge ("a fly"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to fly," ultimately traced to a Proto-Indo-European word with the same meaning.

From Middle English fling, likely related to Old Norse words describing quick, forceful movement.

From Old English fleon, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to flee" — distantly related to "fly."

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to an old Middle English word for a well-matched opponent, later shifting toward the idea of things matching or suiting one another.

The "establish" sense comes from Latin fundare, "to lay a foundation"; the past-tense sense is simply the irregular past form of "find."

From Old English findan, related to German finden and Dutch vinden, ultimately from a very old root meaning "to go" or "to travel a path" — the idea being that you find something by making your way to it.

From Old English flaesc ("flesh, meat"), a very old Germanic word shared with German Fleisch and Dutch vlees.

From Old English feohtan, "to fight, strive," related to an ancient root meaning "to comb or tear," describing violent struggle.

From Old French blont/blond, likely from a Frankish word meaning a mixed golden-brown colour, ultimately related to "blend."

From Old English felt, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to beat" — felt is made by beating and pressing fibers together, not weaving them.

From Old English fēlan, "to feel," related to Dutch voelen and German fühlen.

From Old English fēdan, "to feed," going back to a very old Indo-European root meaning "to guard or graze" — related to food and fodder.

A clipped, informal form of "federal."