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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Borrowed directly from Latin lupus ("wolf") — an old name reflecting the way certain skin lesions associated with the disease were once thought to resemble a wolf's bite.

A straightforward compound of "car" and "sick," modelled on the older word "seasick."

From Italian moschea, ultimately from Arabic masjid, "place of prostration" — a doublet of the word "masjid" itself.

From Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere, "to distinguish."

From Latin fortuna, "chance, luck," named after Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune.

From snow + plow.

Borrowed from German Hamster, the name of the rodent.

The noun combines white with wash; the verb followed from it, first meaning "to paint white" and later picking up the figurative sense of covering up faults.

From Italian alla marinara, literally "sailor style," describing simple, quickly made sauces sailors could prepare.

From Latin marinus ("of the sea"), passed into English through Italian and Spanish marina.

From French mascarade, from Italian mascherata, ultimately from the same root as "mask."

From un- (\"not/reversal\") plus veil, ultimately from Latin velum (\"covering, sail\").

From "buffe," an old word for buffalo-hide leather, via Middle French "buffle" meaning "buffalo."

From Greek amethystos, "not drunk" — ancient Greeks believed wearing or drinking from amethyst could prevent drunkenness.

From Middle French carnation, "flesh colour," from Latin caro ("flesh") — the flower was named for its original pale pinkish-flesh hue, not the other way round.

From French carmin, traced back through Arabic and Persian words for the crimson dye "kermes," ultimately from a root meaning "worm" — a nod to the insect the pigment was made from.

From Middle English charcole, likely combining char ("to turn or char") with cole ("coal").

A shortening of Middle English "chesteine" plus "nut," from Old French chastaigne, from Latin castanea. The "old joke" meaning is said to come from an early-1800s play in which a repeated tall tale always mentioned a chestnut tree.

From Old French "saphir," ultimately from Ancient Greek "sappheiros," itself likely borrowed from a Semitic word for lapis lazuli.

From Old French rubi, going back to Medieval Latin rubīnus, related to Latin ruber, "red."

From Old English hæsl, going back to a Proto-Indo-European root for the hazel tree.

From Old Norse egg, going back to a very old Germanic word for "egg" that's also the source of similar words in Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages, and distantly related to Latin ovum.

From Old French auborne, "blond, flaxen," ultimately from Latin albus, "white." The meaning shifted to "reddish-brown" in English after it got mixed up with the unrelated word brown.

Borrowed through Old French rai from Latin radius ("spoke, staff") — the same root as "radius" and "radiate."