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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From translucent + -ency.

From German Undine, from New Latin undīna, from Latin unda (“wave”).

Deverbal from turn down.

From um- + stroke.

From Latin tubus (“tube”) + curare + -ine.

From tristful + -ness.

From trepidant + -cy.

Borrowed from Russian царе́вич (carévič).

From Middle English tupe (compare Scots tuip), origin unknown.

Metathesized variant of Tomlin.

From tube + light. Sense 2 (“dim-witted person”) refers to the tendency of some fluorescent tubes to flicker as well as the length of time it takes for some to light up completely after being switched on, which is likened to a person whose knowledge is inconsistent or who takes time to understand things.

From troll + -er.

From un- + bested.

From un- + busied.

From un- (reversive prefix) + camp.

uncounterfeited

From un- + counterfeited.

From Middle English underjoinen, equivalent to under- + join.

From Middle English unbegunne, unbegunnon, unbigonne, unbigunnen, unbigunnon, unnbigunnenn, from Old English unbegunnen; equivalent to un- + begun.

From French tyrannicide, from Middle French tyrannicide, from Latin tyrannicīdium. Equivalent to tyrant + -cide.

From Italian tufo, from Latin tōfus or tōphus. Doublet of tuff.

Via Italian czarina or Spanish czarina, from German Czarin, Zarin, feminine form of Czar, Zar. By surface analysis, tsar + -ina.

Derived from trick + -er.

From under- + guess.

From un- + charm.