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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For the surname and given name, see Sidney. The cities in Australia and Canada are named after British politician Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733–1800).

Most likely from an Aboriginal Ngunawal word, kamberra, meaning "meeting place", though the exact origin is debated.

Formed from the verb "say" plus the "-ing" ending, turning it into a noun for something spoken.

From Arabic hajj, meaning "pilgrimage," from a verb meaning "to set out" or "to journey toward."

Borrowed from Spanish matador, literally "killer," from matar ("to kill").

A learned borrowing from Greek pura, related to pur ("fire") — a doublet of the everyday word "fire."

From Hindi राजा (rājā, "king") + स्थान (sthān, "locality").

From Gujarati ગુજરાત (gujrāt), possibly via Classical Persian.

From Sanskrit mahārāṣṭra, combining "mahā" ("great") with "rāṣṭra" ("nation" or "realm").

Named after Goa, the Indian state where this style of trance music took shape among travellers and DJs in the late 1980s.

From Kannada Karnataka, generally understood to combine karu ("elevated") and nadu ("land"), though other origins have been proposed.

Borrowed from Malayalam കേരളം (kēraḷaṁ), which is of uncertain origin. One popular theory derives the name from Malayalam കേരം (kēraṁ, “coconut tree”) and Malayalam അളം (aḷaṁ, “land”), thus "land of coconuts", which is also the state's nickname. More at Kerala § Etymology on Wikipedia.

From Hindi बिहार (bihār), tracing back to Sanskrit vihāra, meaning "temple" or "monastery" — a nod to the region's ancient Buddhist monasteries.

From Hindustani dihlī/dēhli, of disputed ultimate origin.

A compound of Chandi, referring to the goddess Chandi, and garh, "fort."

From Persian panjab, "[land of] the five rivers," referring to five rivers of the region: the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas.

From Old English bitela, related to "bite" — the name likely referred to the insect's biting mouthparts.

From Old French roche, related to a Germanic word for "rough" — originally the name of a fish before being borrowed for the insect and, later, the joint filter.

From "un-" + "mask."

A compound of hammer and head, first used for the shark because of its distinctive flattened, T-shaped skull.

Borrowed from Spanish loco, "crazy" or "mad."

From Latin re, the ablative form of res ("thing, matter"), used in Latin legal phrases such as in re ("in the matter of").

From Anglo-Norman "translater," from Latin "translatus," the past participle of "transferre." A distant relative of "transfer."

Shortened from "pantaloons," itself from the Italian stock character Pantalone, known for wearing tight trousers.