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 fox + -ship.

From foot + stool.

From filch + -ing.

From fret + saw.

From Middle English fotles, from Old English *fōtlēas (only found as fēþelēas (“footless”)), from Proto-Germanic *fōtalausaz (“footless”), equivalent to foot + -less. Cognate with Dutch voetloos, German fußlos, Swedish fotlös, Icelandic fótalaus (“footless, legless”).

From Middle English flodegate, flodgate, flodeyate, floodȝate, flodȝete, equivalent to flood + gate.

From fertile + -ise.

From foot + board. Compare Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐍄𐌿𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳 (fōtubaurd).

From forgive + -able. Partially displaced non-native Middle English pardonable (“capable of being pardoned, forgivable”) from Old French pardonable (“forgivable”).

From fore- + knowledge.

From fetus + -cide or fetus + -icide, from Middle French -cide, from Latin -cīda (“cutter, killer”) and its derivation -cīdium (“killing”), from -cīd (combining form of caedō (“cut, kill”)) + -a (“-er”, forming agent nouns).

From Old French foene (“harpoon, fizgig”), from Latin fuscina (“trident”).

Partly from Middle French fisc and partly from its etymon, Latin fiscus (“basket, money-bag, public treasury”); see fiscal.

From free + thinking.

Rare non-standard spelling of Finley.

From Latin fīlum (“thread”). Doublet of file.

From finger + mark.

From forever + -ness.

From Middle French flatulent.

From Middle English France, from Old French France, from Latin Francia, from Francī, the name of a Germanic tribe, of unclear (but Proto-Germanic) origin. Believed to be most likely from Frankish *Frankō (“a Frank”), from Proto-Germanic *frankô (“javelin”). Compare Frank. Displaced native Old English Francland (see modern Frankland).

Borrowed from French flibustier.

From flesh (verb) + -er.

From Middle English forleten (“forsake, reject, renounce, omit, lose, forgive”), from Old English forlǣtan (“to leave”), from Proto-Germanic *fralētaną (“to leave, dismiss”), equivalent to for- + let. Cognate with Scots forleet (“to forsake, abandon”), Saterland Frisian ferläite (“to forlet, abandon”), West Frisian forlitte (“to forlet”), Dutch verlaten (“to desert, abandon”), German verlassen (“to leave”), Swedish förlåta (“to excuse, forgive, remit”).

From floor (“primary area”) + show (“entertainment, performance”).