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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 Ancient Greek οἴκισις (oíkisis, “colonization”).

From Medieval Latin expropriātus.

From erythr- + -ite.

Borrowed from Byzantine Greek ἐπιμανίκιον (epimaníkion), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + μανίκιον (maníkion, “sleeve”).

Named after the old Elmbridge Hundred, derived from Old English *Amele (a former name of the river Mole) + brycġ (“bridge”).

From Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Emiliana.

From epigone + -ic.

From expansionist + -ic.

From Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός (enkaustikós, “burning in”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).

From en- + lengthen; see en- (“intensifying prefix”).

Learned borrowing from Latin exstirpātiō.

From Middle French énervation.

From Latin ēlīsiō (“striking out, forcing out”) (whence -ion (“noun suffix denoting action, result, process, state, condition”)), from ēlīsus (“knocked out, forced out”), past participle of ēlīdō (“to knock, dash or strike out”) (whence elide), from ex- (“out, away”) + laedō (“to strike, collide, hurt”) (whence e- (“assimilated form of ex-”)).

From elephant + -ic.

From eternal + -ity.

From Danish eksformation, or from explicitly discarded information.

Shortened form of the genus name Eucalyptus.

From favorite + -ize.

Obscure formation from Latin favus (“honeycomb”). Compare deluginous (where the -in- is also unexpected); most -ginous terms derive from Latin words ending in g being suffixed with -īnus (“-inous”).

From Ancient Greek εὐδαίμων (eudaímōn). By surface analysis, eu- + daemon.

From dys- + germ + carcinoma.

Borrowed from French dysphémisme, modelled after euphémisme, with the prefix dys-.

Blend of edge + sphere, after blogosphere or videosphere.

From translingual Eschscholzia, the genus name.