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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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Blend of Cohen + coincidental.

From conversant + -cy or converse + -ancy or conversance + -y.

From Latin Cosmas, from Ancient Greek Κοσμᾶς (Kosmâs), from κόσμος (kósmos). Doublet of Cosmo and related to cosmos.

From cosmo- + -genic.

From Middle English construen, from Late Latin construo, construere (“to relate grammatically”), from Latin construo (“pile together”); doublet of construct.

Variant of Conroy.

From French condescendance, from condescendre, from Late Latin condescendere (“to let oneself down, stoop, condescend”), from Latin com- (“together”) + descendere (“to come down”). See condescend.

From course + mate.

From French compositeur, from Latin compositor.

From common + -ship. Compare North Frisian gemiinschap (“community”), Saterland Frisian Gemeenskup (“community”), West Frisian mienskip (“community”), Dutch gemeenschap (“community, fellowship”), German Gemeinschaft (“community, fellowship”), Swedish gemenskap (“community, fellowship”).

From Cos(worth) + -ie.

From Middle English confescioun, borrowed from Old French confeccion (French confection), borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem, from cōnfectus, past participle of cōnficiō (“prepare”), from con- (“with”) + faciō (“to make, do”). By surface analysis, confect + -ion. Originally "the making by means of ingredients"; sense of "candy or light pastry" predominant since 1500s.

From colo- + -plasty.

From Old French configurer, from Latin configurare. See configurate.

From French conniver (“to ignore and thus become complicit in wrongdoing”), or directly from its etymon Latin con(n)īvēre (“close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; overlook, turn a blind eye, connive”) (perhaps alluding to two persons involved in a scheme together winking to each other), from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + *nīvēre (related to nictō (“to blink, wink”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, droop”)).

From Latin comitātum (“that which is accompanied”).

From Latin contāminābilis.

From Middle French. Compare French consistance. By surface analysis, consist + -ence.

From Latin columba (“dove, pigeon”). The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit in Christianity.

Blend of Cohen (common Jewish surname) + coincidence.

Munster variant of Coffey.

From crack + -s- + -man.

From Latin collātus, perfect passive participle of conferō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of confer. See also infer, delate and defer (Etymology 2), relate and refer, as well as prelate and prefer among others. Not related to collateral.

From Middle English countable, equivalent to count (“to enumerate”) + -able.