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 dilute + -able.

From critic + -ise, see criticize.

From creationist + -ic.

From cum + bucket.

From Latin decennis (“decennial, of ten years”) + -ary.

Borrowed from Middle French cursif, from Medieval Latin cursīvus, from Latin cursus.

Borrowed from French dauphine, equivalent to dauphin + -ine.

Borrowed from Latin culmen (“apex, acme”).

From dick + -ed.

From a medieval short form of the given name Robert + two diminutive suffixes.

Ultimately from Danish Danmark.

From French démocratiser, equivalent to democrat + -ise.

From French délimitation.

From crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”) + bill (“beak of a bird”). Sense 1 (“kind of forceps”) is probably from its appearance, while sense 2 (“type of poleaxe”) is a calque of French bec de corbin (literally “crow or raven's beak”).

Blend of demon + Democrat.

From crib + -age. Named from the "crib" consisting of certain cards laid aside by each player.

From Latin dentītiō (“teething, dentition”).

From Middle English croper, crouper, from Anglo-Norman cruper, cropere, from Old French cropiere, crupiere, from the same Germanic root as croup. Doublet of croupiere.

From French cupidité, from Latin cupiditās (“strong desire”), from cupidus (“keen, desirous”). Compare Cupid.

Either from Italian crimine (“crime”), or a minced oath from "Christ's money" (in reference to the silver that Judas was paid for betraying Jesus), or a deformation of Gemini (which was recorded as an oath from the 1660s). First attested in the 1680s.

Borrowed from French cuirassier, see below.

Borrowed from Latin decima (“a tenth”). Doublet of decima, decime, and dime.

Attested since 1905 (twelve years earlier than toxify), from de- + tox- + -ify. (Detoxicate is attested one year earlier, since 1904.)

Borrowed from French demoiselle. The bird is so called on account of the grace and symmetry of its form and movements. Doublet of damsel, doncella, and donzella.