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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Learned borrowing from Italian duomo. Doublet of dome and domus.

From Dutch vegen (“to sweep, strike”), from Middle Dutch vēghen (“to cleanse”), from Old Dutch *fegōn (“to cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *faginōn, from Proto-Germanic *faginōną (“to decorate, make beautiful”), from Proto-Indo-European *pōḱ-, *pēḱ- (“to clean, to adorn”). Cognate with Danish feje (“to sweep”), German fegen (“to cleanse, scour, sweep”), Icelandic fægja (“to polish”), Swedish feja (“to sweep”). More at fay, fair, fake.

From en- + blazon, from Old French blason (“shield”).

By surface analysis, ec- + demic.

Borrowed from Latin errātum, neuter of errātus (“mistaken”).

From dummy + -ness.

By surface analysis, an appellativization from Felid(ae) minus -ae (a pattern that recurs with many -idae names); by surface analysis, feline + -id.

From Ancient Greek ἐπιγραφή (epigraphḗ, “inscription”), from ἐπιγράφω (epigráphō, “write upon”), from ἐπῐ- (epĭ-, “on, upon, over, etc.”) + γρᾰ́φω (grắphō, “to draw, paint, write, etc.”).

From enby + -phobia, patterned on homophobia, transphobia, etc.

First attested in the beginning of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English dulcoraten, from dulcorat(e) (“sweetened”, used as the past participle of dulcoraten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin dulcōrātus, perfect passive participle of dulcōrō (“to sweeten”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

From Middle English ecclesyastyke, from Late Latin ecclēsiasticus (“of the church”), from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησιαστικός (ekklēsiastikós). By surface analysis, ecclesiast + -ic. Doublet of Ecclesiasticus.

Borrowed from Latin ēbullientem + English -ence (suffix meaning ‘having the state or condition of’). Ēbullientem is the accusative feminine or masculine singular of ēbulliēns (“boiling”), the present participle of ēbulliō (“to boil”) (from ē- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + bulliō (“to bubble; to boil”) (from bulla (“bubble; bubble-shaped object”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to blow; to inflate”))) + -ēns.

From eye + wash. Compare typologically Russian глаз замы́лился (glaz zamýlilsja) (akin to мы́ло (mýlo), мыть (mytʹ)).

From Emilia + -an.

From egg + beater.

From Middle English emendatioun, from Latin ēmendātiō; equivalent to emend + -ation. Piecewise doublet of amendation.

From etho- + -gram.

From Latin elephantīn(us). By surface analysis, elephant + -ine.

Borrowed from French émigré.

From Middle English emulous, from Latin aemulus (“striving to equal or excel, rivaling; in a bad sense, envious, jealous”) + -ous, from Ancient Greek ἁμιλλάομαι (hamilláomai, “strive, contend”), akin to Latin imitari (“to imitate”); see imitate.

From Middle English *edre, *eder, from Old English eder, edor (“hedge, fence”), from Proto-Germanic *edaraz, *eduraz (“hedge, border”). Cognate with Old High German etar.

From event + -less.