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 baronet + -ess.

From Atlas + -ean and Atlantis + -ean.

From backstab + -ee.

From be- + libel.

From bed + board.

From back + hand + -ed.

From Ancient Greek ἀξιωμᾰτικός (axiōmătikós, “employing logical propositions”), from ἀξίωμα (axíōma, “self-evident principle”) + -ικός (-ikós, “of or pertaining to, -ic”), equivalent to axiom + -atic.

From back + flop.

From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta (“to backbite, vilify”).

From French baies, feminine plural of adjective bai (“bay-colored”) mistaken as a singular noun.

From Middle English belouken, bilouken, from Old English belūcan (“to lock up, bring to an end”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilūkan (“to lock up”), equivalent to be- + lock. Cognate with Middle Low German belûken (“to close, secure”), Middle High German belūchen, belouchen (“to enclose, shut in”), obsolete German belochen (“lock up, lock in, include”).

From Latin astragalus, from Ancient Greek ἀστράγαλος (astrágalos). Doublet of astragal.

From astro- + -metry.

From Middle English beknowen, biknowen, from Old English becnāwan (“to know, know about”), equivalent to be- + know. Cognate with Old High German bichnāan (“to recognise, see”).

Perhaps an alteration of barefast (compare shamefast); or from bare + faced. Compare typologically cheeky; Italian sfacciato (< Latin ex- + faciēs); French effronté, Italian sfrontato (< Latin ex- + frōns), Polish czelny (< czoło).

From be- + nothing.

From be- (“thoroughly, extensively”) + daub, from Old French dauber (“to plaster, whitewash”), from Latin dealbō (“whiten over, plaster”).

From Middle English *bedrinken, from Old English bedrincan (“to drink in, drink up, absorb”), from Proto-West Germanic *bidrinkan; conflated with Middle English bidrenchen (“to soak up, steep”) (attested in Middle English bidrenkt (“soaked, drenched”)), from Old English *bedrenċan (“to drench completely”), equivalent to be- + drink and be- + drench. Cognate with Dutch bedrinken (“to drink up, get drunk”), German betrinken (“to get drunk”).

Clipped form or euphemised version of bastard

From barley + corn.

From ballot + -er.

From be- + hedge; compare Old English behegian and Dutch beheggen (“to put a hedge around, behedge”).

From beef + -er.

From auto- + sled.