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 Hindi शिमला (śimlā).

From Japanese "kami," meaning "god" or "spirit."

Borrowed from Hebrew luz, meaning "almond" — the bone was thought to be almond-shaped.

From Old English heard, from a very old Germanic and Indo-European root meaning "strong" or "powerful" — the same root behind the Greek word for "strength."

Named in honour of the Caliph Ali, nicknamed "Haidar" ("lion") for his valour in battle, combined with a Persian placename suffix meaning "city."

From Old English hwil, "a space of time" — ultimately from a very old root meaning "rest" or "pause".

From Middle English althagh, a compound of Old English eall ("all") and þeah ("though") — literally "all though."

Ultimately from Latin Leo and leo (“lion”), from Ancient Greek Λέων (Léōn) and λέων (léōn, “lion”), likely ultimately from a non-Indo-European language. Sometimes via other related languages such as French Léon and sometimes as a diminutive of related names such as Leonard and Leonardo.

From Old English hwæther, originally meaning "which of the two" — a comparative form built on the same root as "who".

From Old English weder, a very old Germanic word ultimately traced to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to blow" (as the wind does).

A dialectal form of the verb take.

From Anglo-Norman and Old French usage, built from use + -age.

The chemical sense comes from Arabic qily via "alkali"; the goddess's name is Sanskrit, related to "kala" meaning time or death.

From Old English hungrig, built from hunger + the adjective suffix -y.

From Old English dēman ("to judge, decide"), related to the word "doom."

From Old English hieg/hig, related to the verb "hew" (to cut down) — hay is literally "the cut stuff."

Borrowed into Tagalog from Spanish saya, meaning "skirt."

From Latin res publica, literally "the public thing," via Middle French republique.

From Old English Brettisc, related to the older Celtic name for the island's early inhabitants.

From Old French Turc, ultimately from Old Turkic tü rk via Persian and Byzantine Greek.

From Old English regn, an ancient Germanic word shared with German Regen and Dutch regen.

From the Maori word māori itself, meaning "normal" or "native" — used to distinguish the indigenous people from later European settlers.

From Latin arabicus, from Greek Arabikos, ultimately from Arab plus an adjective-forming suffix.

From Old English æx, from Proto-Germanic *akwisī, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "sharp, pointed".