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 web + mail.

From vitalize + -er.

From un- + submissive.

From Latin vās + -al. By surface analysis, vas + -al.

From video- + -graphy.

From Late Middle English vinous, vinose (“consisting of, containing, or made of wine”), from Latin vīnōsus (“fond of wine; wine-flavoured”), from vīnum (“wine”) + -ōsus (adjective-forming suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’).

From un- + happen + -able.

From Middle English *unendly, equivalent to un- + endly. Cognate with German unendlich.

From wagon + -er.

From Middle English vertegrece, verdegres, from Old French verte grez (literally “acidic green”), an alteration of older verte de Grece (literally “green of Greece”). The modern French writing of this word is vert-de-gris (literally “green of gray”).

From Middle English wefte, from Old English wefan (“to weave”), from Proto-West Germanic *weban, from Proto-Germanic *webaną. Equivalent to weave + -t (abstract nominal suffix).

From Middle English unwrought, unwroght, unwrouȝt, equivalent to un- + wrought. Doublet of unworked.

From vellicate + -ion.

From a reduced form of wearish.

From wag + pastie.

From Middle English unhopful, unhopfulle, equivalent to un- + hopeful.

Borrowed from Tok Pisin wantok, from English one talk, that is, a speaker of the same language.

From Latin vacuitās (“empty space, vacancy, vacuity”); equivalent to vacu(ous) + -ity.

Borrowed from Dharug wollabi (“swamp wallaby”).

From Web + -ie.

From French volute, from Italian voluta, from Latin volūta, from the feminine of volūtus, perfect passive participle of volvō. Doublet of vault.

From un- + riddle.

From Middle English viniterie, from Old French vinotier, vinetier (“wine merchant”).

From Middle English versifiour, from Old French versifieor; equivalent to versify + -er.