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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From Old English to, an adverbial use of the preposition "to" — a doublet of "to" itself.

From Old English æt ("at, near, by"), from Proto-Germanic *at, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "near."

From Old English sife, an old Germanic word related to German Sieb — ultimately from a root meaning "to pour or strain".

From Latin animal, based on anima ("breath, spirit, soul") — the same root behind "animate" and "animation."

From Old English prica, "a sharp point or tiny mark," of Germanic origin.

From Old French coigne, "wedge" or "die for stamping money," from Latin cuneus, "wedge" — coins were originally struck using wedge-shaped dies.

From Old English hand, from a Proto-Germanic root shared with Dutch hand, German Hand, and Danish hånd.

From New Latin per centum, literally "by the hundred".

From Old English sum, "a certain one", going back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "one" or "whole".

From Old English sċite ("dung") and sċitte ("diarrhoea"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to split" or "separate." A doublet of the German-derived scheisse.

From Latin copulatus, past participle of copulare ("to join, couple, connect").

From Old English ticia, "parasitic insect," related to Dutch teek and German Zecke.

Old English · 1600

From Old English cocc, most likely imitating the bird's crowing sound; the vulgar sense for "penis" has been in use since at least the 1600s.

From Old English assa, ultimately from Latin asinus. The insulting sense comes from the donkey's old reputation for stubbornness and slow-wittedness.

American slang, from "blow off" (an earlier term for oral sex among sex workers, recorded from the 1930s) + "job."

From Old French existence, ultimately from Latin existere, "to come into being" — built from ex- ("out") plus sistere ("to stand").

From Medieval Latin currentia, "a flowing" or "a running," from Latin currere, "to run" — the idea of money "running" or circulating through an economy.

From Old English cniht, originally meaning simply "boy" or "servant" — the meaning shifted over centuries to "mounted warrior" and then "honoured title."

Traces back through Old French eschec to Persian shah, "king" — the piece whose capture ends the game. "Check," "checkmate," and "exchequer" share the same root.

From Old French tenez ("hold!" or "take this!"), reportedly called out by the server before hitting the ball in an earlier version of the game.

From Old French deus ("two"), from Latin duo.

From Old French compas, ultimately from Latin com- ("together") plus passus ("a step" or "pace") — the same root behind "pace" and "pass."

From Old French ligue, ultimately from Latin ligare, "to tie" or "to bind" — the same root as "ligament."

From Old French zel, ultimately from Greek zēlos ("zeal, jealousy") — the same root that gives us "zealous" and "jealous."