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 viscero- + ptosis.

From Old French vassalage (French vasselage), from vassal.

Extension of *whip-snapper (“a cracker of whips”), or perhaps from snipper-snapper. Compare also whipperginnie (“term of abuse for a woman”), late 16th c.

From un- + punishable.

From Latin vitiare (“to spoil, damage”).

From Old French vestiarie, from Latin vestiarium, from vestis (“clothing”). Doublet of vestry.

From Old French valeureux.

From Middle English waxen (“made of wax”), from Old English weaxen (“waxen, made of wax”), equivalent to wax + -en (“made of”).

From un- + pretty (verb).

Existing in the original sense of “unequipped, unprepared” since 1541, with the later sense of “lacking furniture” attested since 1581: from un- (“not”) + furnished, past participle of furnish (“supply, equip (especially with furniture)”).

whatdoyoucallit

From the phrase "what do you call it".

From weasel + -er.

From un- + vision + -ed.

From Anglo-Norman vicontiel, from Middle French visconte (“viscount”) + -iel. Equivalent to viscount + -ial.

From Latin viridis, from the verb vireō (“be verdant, sprout”).

From Middle French verbosité, from Late Latin verbōsitās. By surface analysis, verbose + -ity.

From Middle English upshiften, upschyften (“to raise”), equivalent to up- + shift.

Borrowed from Latin virāgō (“warlike or heroic woman”, literally “manlike”).

Ealiest known use is from 1942 (see quotations), and it was first mentioned in 1931. Possibly from an alteration of earlier whopperjawed, wopperjawed, wapper-jawed, ultimately related to wapper jaw (“a projecting underjaw”) (1825).

From un- + healthful.

From Latin valētūdin- + -arian, from oblique stem of Latin valētūdō, from valeō + -tūdō. By surface analysis, valetude + -arian.

From un- + mix.

From un- + material.

From uproot + -er.