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 Middle English ankres, ankerisse, anchoryse; equivalent to anchor + -ess.

From French appréciable. By surface analysis, appreci(ate) + -able.

Borrowed from Neapolitan pizza (“pizza”), with the feminine definite article 'a.

From the Latin adventitius (“extraneous”).

From anti- + blue.

Spelling variant of Amina.

From New Latin aphēlium (whence English aphelium, now displaced) + -ion (used in the names of other apsides). Aphelium was formed from Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, prefix meaning ‘away, from, off’) + ἥλῐος (hḗlĭos, “the sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“the sun”)), modelled after New Latin apogaeum (“apogee”). The plural form aphelia is from aphelion + -a (plural form of the suffix -on).

A learned borrowing from Latin assiduus, from assidere (“to sit down to”), from ad- (“to”) + sedere (“to sit”). Compare sedulous. Cognate (via assidere) to assess.

From anti- + blooming.

From amphi- + biotic.

From Ancient Greek ἀπό (apó, “away”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”) + -phobia.

From ale + con + -er, from Old English cunnen (“to test”), from cunnian (“to test”).

From an- + Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”) + -ous.

From Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor (“dice-player”), from ālea (“a die”).

Early 18th c., ante- + diluvial, possibly as alteration of earlier antediluvian.

From Latin architectonicus, from Ancient Greek ἀρχιτεκτονικός (arkhitektonikós), from ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn, “architect”).

From anti- + apartheid.

Anglicization of New Latin asphyxia.

From Middle English alowe, equivalent to a- + low.

From French androgyne, from Latin androgynus.

From an- + ecumene.

Borrowed from Latin āreālis; by surface analysis, area + -al. Cognate with English areolar. False cognates include English arena, adrenal, anear.

From French amandine, feminine of amandin.

From alacrity + -ous.