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 Old French enlacer.

From Latin effābilis (effor (“to utter”) + -able).

From en- + spell.

Learned borrowing from Latin exemplificātor.

From Latin exordium.

Compound of face + sitting.

From Latin ēlogium. Doublet of elogium.

From extra- + dural.

From Middle French evitable (modern French évitable), from Latin ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītō (“to avoid”) + -bilis (“-able”, able or worthy to be). The former is derived from ē- (“out”) + vītō (“to avoid, evade; to shun”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dwidʰeh₁- (“separate, set apart”), a compound of *dwi- (“two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put”)).

Latin aedificialis.

Coined by L. Ron Hubbard, probably from the prefix en- plus turbulent or disturbed, to describe a state of mind within.

From Middle English dwemercraft, from Middle English dweomercræft (“magic; sorcery”), equivalent to dweomer + -craft.

From Latin februatio, from februare (“purify”).

From the Latin ēthologia (“the art of depicting or imitating character”), from the Ancient Greek ἠθολογία (ēthología, “painting of character, especially by mimic gestures”), from ἠθολόγος (ēthológos, “painting character by mimic gestures”), from ἦθος (êthos, “character, especially moral character”). Equivalent to etho- + -logy.

From French embouchure, from emboucher (“to put in one’s mouth”), from en- (“in”) + bouche (“mouth”), from Latin bucca (“cheek”).

From innovation, with the prefix in- replaced by ex-. Coined by Rein De Wilde in 2000.

Borrowed from Arabic فَقِيه (faqīh).

Ultimately from exponent + -i- + -ation. Perhaps from exponential + -ation.

An adaptation of extenuātiōn-, the oblique stem of the Latin extenuātiō (“a thinning or diminishing”, “rarefaction”; rhetoric “a lessening”, “diminution”, “extenuation”), noun of action from extenuō (“to thin, reduce, or diminish”). Equivalent to extenuate + -ion. Compare the French exténuation.

From the participle stem of Latin expatior, from ex- + spatior (“walk about”).

From Middle English *elderdom, alderdom, from Old English ealdordōm (“greatness, power, authority, lordship, eldership, rule, dominion, magistracy, principality, superiority, preeminence, primacy, government, any official position involving command of others, beginning”), equivalent to elder + -dom. Cognate with West Frisian âlderdom (“eld, old age, antiquity”), German Altertum (“antiquity”), Swedish ålderdom (“eld, age”).

From equal + -ise.

From Medieval Latin farsa. Doublet of farce.

From Eva + Lyn, or a variant of Evelyn.