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 the Christian ritual, which was traditionally accompanied in Catholicism by a recitation of Psalm 25:6 (Psalm 26:6, in the Hebrew and in most modern translations) which in Latin begins with the word lavābō (“I will wash”). The sense of "room with a toilet" developed under the influence of lavatory and lav.

Diminutive: Lachlan + -ie

From Middle English lothsomnesse, loþsumnes, lathsumnes; equivalent to loathsome + -ness.

Borrowed from French lazaret, from Italian lazzareto (archaic), lazzaretto, lazzeretto; see further at lazaretto. Doublet of lazaretto.

Generally considered to derive from Dutch, although a specific etymon is unclear. Century and some other old dictionaries derive it from a confusion of two similar Dutch words, namely *mallemerok (“foolish woman”) (from malle (“foolish”) + *marok, from French marotte (“jester's sceptre”)) and *mallemok (“sailor of a whaling vessel”), but the first of those words is not attested, and the second is not attested with the claimed meaning (but see mollymawk). Compare mallemolen.

Borrowed from French maquisard.

From French laïque, from Latin lāicus (“common people”), from Ancient Greek λαός (laós). Doublet of lay.

From main + sheet.

From Middle English lawe ȝivere, lawe-ȝivere, law ȝevar; equivalent to law + giver.

From Scottish Gaelic MhicFhionghain, from Fhionghain (“Fingon”).

From master + -like. Piecewise doublet of maestrolike.

From loyal + -ism. Piecewise doublet of legalism.

From Middle English manfulnesse; equivalent to manful + -ness.

From Middle English libidinous, borrowed from Latin libīdinōsus.

From the given name Luke.

From learned + -ness.

From South African Dutch lager (“camp”) (modern Afrikaans laer), from German Lager, from Middle High German leger, from Old High German legar, from Proto-Germanic *legrą. Doublet of lager and lair.

From liquidise + -er.

From French malique, from Latin mālum.

From Indonesian Madura, said to be from madu (“honey”) + dara (“girl”).

From Old English Lægreċeastresċīr. The middle and last element are ceaster (“town, city”) and scir (“district”), common in placenames. The first element is probably from the former name of the river Soar, *Ligora, *Ligera, of Celtic/Brythonic origin, from Proto-Celtic *legyā (“sediment”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”), similar to the French river Loire. By surface analysis, Leicester + -shire.

Borrowed from Russian малосоль (malosolʹ), from мало (malo, “light”) + соль (solʹ, “salt”).

From Middle English lightles, from Old English lēohtlēas, from Proto-West Germanic *leuhtalaus; equivalent to light (noun) + -less (“lacking, without”). Cognate with West Frisian ljochtleas, Dutch lichtloos, German lichtlos.

From Latin Lutetia (“Paris, the capital of France”) + -ium.