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 hachure (“crosshatching”), from hacher (“to hatch”).

From im- (“not”) + pregnant.

Probably an alteration of haggle.

From hill + -s- + -man.

From hexa- + -hedron. Piecewise doublet of sexahedron.

From hemo- + -philiac.

Borrowed from Russian Игна́тий (Ignátij), from Latin Ignātius.

From either Old English hīeġ (“hay”) or ġehæġ (“enclosure”) + denu (“valley”).

From holograph + -y.

From grey + malkin; literally "grey-haired cat" or "grey-haired woman".

From heart + spent.

From hear + -able.

From Middle English orloger, from Middle French orlogier; equivalent to horology + -er.

First attested in 1574; borrowed from Latin hebetātus, perfect passive participle of hebetō (“to dull”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix).

First attested around 1935–40. Probably an alteration of gunk.

From hard + stone.

From hardy + -hood. Compare Dutch hardigheid (“hardness, callousness”), German Hartigkeit (“hardness”).

From handy + -ly. Compare Middle English hendily, hendiliche.

From hallow + -dom.

From ice + block.

From hag + fish.

From hard + way, i.e. the difficult way to achieve something.

Probably a blend of gwop + moola, like scrilla.

From Middle English handles, from Old English *handlēas, from Proto-Germanic *handulausaz (“handless”), equivalent to hand + -less. Cognate with West Frisian hânleas (“handless”), German handlos (“handless”), Icelandic handlauss (“handless”).