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 Greek hydraulikos, describing a "water organ" — an ancient musical instrument powered by water pressure — built from hydor ("water") and aulos ("pipe").

From the solfège syllable "sol," taken from the Latin word solve in a medieval hymn used to teach the musical scale; the Martian and Peruvian currency senses instead trace back to Latin sol, "sun."

From Latin designare, "to mark out, point out," from de- + signare ("to mark"), from signum ("a mark, sign").

From Middle French investir, ultimately from Latin investire, "to clothe or cover" (in- + vestire, "to dress" — related to "vest"). The money sense grew out of the idea of "clothing" your capital in a venture, arriving in English via Italian investire.

From the medieval given name "Jacques" (via Anglo-Norman), which became a generic English word for "a man" or "a fellow" and later attached itself to countless tools, devices, and objects.

From Greek symbolon, originally a token or half-coin used as a proof of identity, from syn- ("together") + ballein ("to throw").

From Old English þūsend, from a very old Germanic word for "thousand," found with similar forms across Germanic languages such as German tausend and Dutch duizend.

From Old English hundred, built from an Indo-European root for "hundred" plus a word meaning "count" or "reckoning."

From Old English hundniġontiġ, built ultimately from nine plus a suffix meaning "ten times."

Inherited from Middle English eightety, eiȝti, eiȝtety, from Old English hundeahtatiġ, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōutēhundą (“eighty”), equivalent to eight + -ty. Cognate with Scots hechty, auchty (“eighty”), Saterland Frisian tachentich (“eighty”), West Frisian tachtich (“eighty”), Dutch tachtig (“eighty”), Low German tachentig (“eighty”), German achtzig (“eighty”), Swedish åttio (“eighty”), Norwegian åtti (“eighty”), Icelandic áttatíu (“eighty”).

From Old English hundseofontig, from seven + -ty.

From Old English sixtig, from "six" plus the suffix "-ty."

From the Greek letter name pi; its mathematical use began because it's the first letter of the Greek word for "periphery/circumference."

From Old English fiftig, meaning literally "five tens."

From Old English feowertig, from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "four tens" — the same pattern as "fifty" and "sixty."

From Old English þrītiġ, literally "three tens".

From Old English twēntiġ, literally "two tens," an old Germanic compound built the same way as thirty and forty.

From Old English niġontīene, built from nine plus the "-teen" ending meaning "ten more."

From Old English sixtiene, from "six" plus the suffix "-teen."

From Old English seofontiene, from seven + -teen.

From Old English fiftiene, built from "five" plus "-teen" (meaning "ten").

From Latin irratiōnālis, from ir- ("not") plus ratiōnālis ("rational").

From Greek hemisphairion, combining hemi- ("half") and sphaira ("sphere").

From Old French esquarre, ultimately from Latin ex- plus quadrus ("four-sided"); a doublet of "squad."