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 English "plūme", itself borrowed from Latin "prunum" (plum); it is a doublet of the word "prune", which comes from the same Latin root.

Traces through Old French and Latin oliva back to an ancient Mediterranean word, ultimately the same root that gives us "oil."

From New Latin Orchidaceae, based on Latin orchis, from Greek órkhis, meaning both "orchid" and "testicle" — a reference to the shape of some orchid root tubers.

From Middle English travailen, "to labour, journey" — the same root as "travail," reflecting how arduous travel once was.

From Old English tīd, originally meaning "time," related to German Zeit and Dutch tijd. The sea sense developed because tides come and go at fixed, predictable times.

From Latin recipe, "take!" — the word doctors once wrote at the top of a prescription telling the pharmacist which ingredients to take and combine.

From Anglo-Norman lavendre, from Medieval Latin lavendula, likely influenced by Latin lavo, "to wash," because of its long use as a scent for washed laundry.

From Latin hebenus and ultimately Egyptian hbnj, via Greek ébenos — the same root word travelled through several languages before settling as "ebony" in English.

From Old French coral, from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek korallion.

From Middle English tadpolle, combining "toad" and "poll" (meaning "head") — a reference to the creature's large-headed, tailed shape.

Shortened from "hobby-horse", originally meaning a small pony, which came to mean a toy riding-horse, and eventually a favorite pastime — the link being an activity that, like a toy horse, "goes nowhere".

From Ancient Greek kometes, "long-haired," referring to the comet's tail, which was likened to flowing hair.

From Old French antoillier, ultimately traced to a Latin phrase meaning roughly "before the eye" — describing where the growth sits on the head.

From Spanish el lagarto, "the lizard," picked up by English sailors and explorers in the Americas and gradually reshaped into its current spelling.

From Middle English bakbon, a compound of back and bone.

Borrowed from French bronze in the early 1500s, from Italian bronzo, itself of uncertain origin.

From Latin vertebra, "a joint", from vertere, "to turn" — because these bones let the spine twist and bend.

Traced back through Old French and Old High German words for a small covered shelter, ultimately from an ancient root meaning "to cover" or "hide" — the same root that gives us the word "hide."

Borrowed from French tutu, originally playful slang for the bottom, since the skirt is worn around the hips.

From Old French tortüe, likely reshaped under the influence of Middle English words for the turtledove, ultimately going back to the same source as "tortoise".

A back-formation from the Spanish plural tamales, from Nahuatl tamalli, meaning "wrapped."

Traced back through French and Italian to Ottoman Turkish şerbet and Arabic sharba ("a drink"); a distant relative of both "sherbet" and "syrup."

Persian · 1800

Borrowed from Urdu/Hindi khaki, meaning "dusty" or "dust-coloured", ultimately from Persian khak ("dust"). The colour became linked with military uniforms after British troops adopted it for camouflage during colonial campaigns in the 1800s.

From Spanish sombrero, "hat", from sombra, "shade" — literally a "shade-maker".