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 the Burmese name for the country's main ethnic group; the official English name Myanmar was adopted alongside the older name Burma.

The origin of the name is uncertain, though it is closely tied to the Moldova River that runs through the historical region.

The country and river take their name, through Latin and Greek, from the Biblical Hebrew "yardén," meaning the River Jordan.

Learned borrowing via Medieval Latin Georgia, possibly influenced by the popularity of Saint George in the region, though the name's deeper origin remains debated.

Borrowed from Medieval Latin Croātia, itself from an early Slavic name for the Croat people, traced back through Ancient Greek to a Proto-Slavic root.

After Kongo, from Kongo nkongo (“hunter”). Compare Kongo dikongo (“spear”), Zulu umkhonto, Proto-Bantu *mʊ̀kóndó.

From Latin reminiscens, present participle of reminisci ("to remember").

From Latin Iupiter, literally "father sky" or "sky father," combining an old word for sky/day with pater, "father."

From Old English cu, going back to a very old Indo-European root also seen in Latin bos (giving us "beef") and Greek bous.

From Old English drincan, an ancient Germanic word for taking liquid into the mouth.

From Old English winnan, "to labour, strive, fight" — the sense narrowed over time from general struggle to specifically coming out victorious.

From Old French armee, from Medieval Latin armata ("armed force"), from Latin armare ("to arm").

From Old English niht, going back to a very old Proto-Indo-European root also found in Latin nox and Greek nykta — the same ancient word behind "nocturnal" and "equinox."

From Old English āscian, of Germanic origin, related to words in Dutch and German meaning "to demand" or "to request."

From Latin moneta, "mint" — from the temple of Juno Moneta in Rome, where Roman coins were struck.

Middle English · 1860

The noun appears in Early Modern English; the verb in Middle English. Possibly imitative in origin. The "joke" sense developed later, from the 1860s.

Coined in German in 1920 by botanist Hans Winkler, blending Gen ("gene") with Chromosom ("chromosome").

From retro- ("backward") + virus, named for its reversed direction of genetic replication.

From Russian Kazakhstan, built from "Kazakh" plus the Persian-derived suffix "-stan," meaning "land of."

Named by Christopher Columbus after Saint Martin of Tours. The name is sometimes suggested to be a modification of a native Ta-Arawak (Taino or Kalinago) name Madinina (“island of flowers”) or Matinino (“island of women”).

From Medieval Latin Russia, from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ), tracing back to Old Norse roots connected with "rowing."

Named after the French official Jean Moreau de Séchelles.

From Old English storm, an ancient Germanic word related to Dutch storm and German Sturm.

From Somali, the name of the people, + the place-name suffix -ia.