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 Latin virtus, meaning "manliness, worth, or moral excellence," from vir, "man."

From Old English wamb, meaning "belly" or "stomach" — the word originally referred to the abdomen generally before narrowing to mean specifically the uterus.

A shortening of "chatter," originally describing idle talk.

From Bulgaria + the adjective suffix -an/-ian.

From Old English dōn, a very old Germanic verb going back to a root meaning "to put" or "to place."

From Romania plus the adjective suffix -an.

From French basque, from Gascon Occitan basc, from Latin Vasco/Vascones, the name of the ancient people of that region.

A compound of "side" and "walk".

From Latin pavimentum, "a beaten or paved surface," from pavire, "to beat or ram down" — the same root as "pave."

From Latin natalis, "of birth," from natus, "born" — the same root that gives us "nation," "native," and "nativity."

A straightforward compound of drive and way — literally, the way you drive to reach your house.

From Old English gangweġ, literally "a way for going" — from gang ("go, walk") + way.

Of uncertain origin, possibly related to Scots and dialectal English words like "soom" or "sweem," meaning to buzz, hum, or spin rapidly.

From the Zulu people's own name for themselves, uMzulu, historically linked to a royal ancestor and traditionally said to relate to a word for "sky" or "heaven."

From Old Norse sala, "sale," related to the verb "to sell."

From Middle English turnpyke, originally a spiked barrier used to block a road until a toll was handed over — from "turn" plus "pike" (a spiked shaft).

From Old French alee, "a going, a walk," from the verb aler, "to go" — the same root that gives French its verb "aller" and English the related word "allée."

From Old English lanu, "a lane, alley," related to Dutch laan.

The noun comes from Middle French entrance ("entry"). The unrelated-looking verb sense is actually "en-" + "trance," meaning to put someone into a trance-like state of wonder.

From motor + way.

From "free" plus "way," originally referring to a toll-free highway.

From Latin exitus, "a way out" or "departure," from exire, "to go out" — ex- ("out") plus ire ("to go").

From French avenue, the feminine past participle of avenir, "to approach," from Latin advenire, "to come to."

A compound of express and way.