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 dock + -age.

Borrowed from Latin Dionȳsiacus, from Ancient Greek Διονυσιακός (Dionusiakós), from Δῐόνῡσος (Dĭónūsos, “Dionysus”) + -ακός (-akós).

Borrowed from Latin disgregātiō, from dis- (“apart”) + grex (“flock”). The thermodynamics sense was introduced in 1862 by German physicist Rudolf Clausius in his formulation of what is now called the second law of thermodynamics.

From dreadlocks.

From dirt + -some.

From domestic + -ize.

From di- + -plex.

From the stem of Latin dracō (“dragon”) + -ine.

From discomfit + -ing.

discommendation

From dis- + commendation.

Back-formation from dudhwallah, doodwallah (“milk-man”, literally “milk-ward”), reinterpreting the wallah of milk as a wallah of camels by dint of misremembrance of the Bengali word for “camel” which is উট (uṭ).

Uncertain: * Perhaps the same as Etymology 2, below * Perhaps from Welsh dygen (“anger, grudge”) (from dy- + cwyn (“complaint”)), though the OED rejects this. * Possibly from dudgen (“trash, something worthless”). * Possibly borrowed from Italian aduggiare (“to overshadow”), similar to the semantic development of umbrage.

From dock + hand.

Borrowed from Latin dissolvēns.

Unknown. Likely a descendant of dangle, reflecting that electronic accessories such as computer peripherals often are plugged in via a flexible cable (although wirelessness is also often relevant). Claims that the word comes from a man named "Don Gall" were made up by an advertisement. First usage 1980-1985.

First attested in 1593; borrowed from Latin disgregātus, perfect passive participle of disgregō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

From dude + -let.

From dirt + -en (verbal suffix).

From dissolve + -ability.

From Middle French ducal, from Latin ducālis. Doublet of dogal.

From Middle English doolfulnes, dolfulnesse, equivalent to doleful + -ness.

From late Middle English dukdom, dukedom; equivalent to duke + -dom.

From Ancient Greek δρᾰ́κοντ- (drắkont-, “dragon”) + -ine.