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 French absinthe, tracing to Latin absinthium and ultimately Greek apsinthion, meaning "wormwood," the plant originally used to flavour the drink.

From Old English plante, ultimately from Latin planta, "sprout, cutting." The factory/machinery sense grew out of an old Latin meaning of "something that propagates or produces."

From Old French differer, from Latin differō — the same ultimate root as "differ," making them doublets of each other.

Borrowed from Japanese 青(あお) (ao).

From Old English nīehsta, the superlative of nēah ("nigh, near") — so "next" originally meant literally "nearest."

From Old English hēr ("at this place"), from a Germanic root also seen in Dutch hier and German hier.

From Old English æfter, going back to a Proto-Germanic word built from a root meaning "off, away" plus a comparative ending — literally something like "further away."

From Middle French drogue, originally referring to dried herbs and goods kept in barrels — the word for "dry" got mistakenly applied to what was stored inside.

From Old English bycgan ("to buy, pay for, acquire"), an ancient Germanic verb with no certain root beyond that.

From Middle English "killen," of uncertain deeper origin, possibly related to Old English "cwellan" (to kill, the source of "quell") or an Old Norse word meaning "to strike."

From Italian dilettante, "one who delights [in something]," from dilettare, "to delight."

From Late Latin efficacia, related to efficax, "capable of producing an effect."

From "out" plus "doors," likely a shortened form of the older phrase "out of doors."

From Latin creatus, the past participle of creare, "to bring forth or produce" — it replaced older English words like "shape" and "work" in this sense.

From Middle English Indien, from India, applied to the Americas due to Columbus's early belief he had reached the East Indies.

From Old English cnāwan, "to perceive or recognize," from a very old root shared with Latin (g)noscere and Greek gignṓskein — both meaning "to know."

From Old French clos, "shut, confined," ultimately from Latin claudere, "to close, bar, enclose." The same Latin root gives "clause," "claustrophobia," and "cloister."

Short for deoxyribonucleic acid, the chemical name of the molecule.

From Old English grund, related to Dutch grond and German Grund, all meaning the earth's surface or a foundation.

From Old English þynne, an ancient Germanic word related to "stretch" — something stretched thin has little thickness.

Old English · 1500

Of Germanic origin, from a root related to Old English *fuccian; in continuous documented use in English since at least the 16th century, with much older suggestive spellings in medieval records.

From Latin securitas, "freedom from care," built from the same root as secure — se- ("without") + cura ("care").

Borrowed directly from Spanish presidente, "president."

From Latin praesidens, "one presiding," the present participle of praesideo, "to preside over," from prae- ("before") and sedeo ("to sit").