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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Popularized by American singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001). Transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).

From Middle English abeliche, abelyche, abilliche, abliche; equivalent to able + -ly.

From Latin vituperātiō (“censure, blame”), equivalent to vituperate + -ion.

From un- + trendy.

From utility + -arian. Coined by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham as early as 1781, and popularized by his student John Stuart Mill, who mistakenly attributed the term to John Galt.

From Middle English accidie, from Anglo-Norman accidie, Old French accide, accidie, from Late Latin accīdia, alteration of acēdia (“sloth, torpor”), from Ancient Greek ἀκήδεια (akḗdeia, “indifference”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + κῆδος (kêdos, “care”). Doublet of acedia.

From aberrance + -y.

From Middle English wetandly, wettanly, wetyngly, witandly, witingeliche, wittandly, wittingli, wittingly, wityngli, wityngly, witynly, wytindeliche, wytyngly, equivalent to witting + -ly. Cognate with German wissentlich.

From un- + reserved.

Possibly from wiseacre, influenced by pillock, or possibly wazz + -ock. First attested in the 1984 novel When the Martians Land in Huddersfield by Mike Harding. Harding (born 1944) later claimed that he "used it when I was a kid,” it being “fairly common in the north, in Lancashire and Yorkshire”, and suggested that the term came from the instrument used to fling a monarch's excrement out the window.

From Latin acceptābilitās. By surface analysis, accept + -ability.

From Middle English wastere, waister, wastar, wastour, equivalent to waste + -er. Compare Anglo-Norman wastur, Old French gastëor.

From west + -wards.

From Latin vincibilis (“conquerable”), from vincere (“to conquer”).

From un- + suffer + -able.

From Middle English abbathie, from Late Latin abbātia, from abbās, abbātis (“abbot”). Doublet of abbey and Opatija.

From un- + mind.

Probably originally a nonce formation from wrong + -th (abstract nominal suffix) by analogy with strong ~ strength and long ~ length; compare Middle English wrengthe (“crookedness, distortion”).

Borrowed from French vice-reine.

From woo + -er; from Middle English wowere, from Old English wōgere, from wōgian (“to woo”).

From Middle English ȝarken, ȝerken, from Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”), Proto-West Germanic *garwakōn, equivalent to yare + -k. Related to Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”), ġearu (“prepared, ready, equipped, complete, finished, yare”). More at yare.

From Latin āctuārius (“copyist, account-keeper”), from āctus (“public business”); see actuarius.

From adjacence + -y.

From Middle English upthrowen, equivalent to up- + throw.