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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Blend of Twitter + peep (“person”).

From Middle French tyranniser, equivalent to tyranny + -ize.

From Latin undecim (“eleven”); formed as logical continuation to December, which in its turn is derived from Latin decem (“ten”), as it was the tenth month in the Roman calendar. It is unclear whether the term was ever used in Classic Latin as a name for an intercalary month.

From turtle + -esque. Piecewise doublet of turtleish.

From trinket + -y.

From traitor + -ize.

From unassuming + -ness.

From trade + -s- + woman.

From true + love.

From total + -ness.

From tri- + lithium.

From Middle English townes-man, from Old English tūnmann, tūnes mann, equivalent to town + -s- + man.

Compare French tripartition.

From Middle English troutheles, trouthles, trowwþelæse, equivalent to troth + -less. Piecewise doublet of truthless.

From Middle English trestel, from Old French trestel (“crossbeam”) (French tréteau), from Latin trānstellum, diminutive of trānstrum.

transformerless

From transformer + -less.

From un- + clubbable.

From Middle English tridel, tyrdel, from Old English tyrdel (“dropping, small piece of excrement”), diminutive of Old English tord (“piece of excrement, dung”), equivalent to turd + -le.

From under- + judge.

PIE word *tréyes Borrowed from New Latin triūnus.

From Latin trigōnālis (“triangular”), equivalent to trigon + -al.

From un- + concern, around 1660–1670.

Inherited from Middle English torcious, from Anglo-Norman torcious. By surface analysis, tort + -ious.

From tri- + chilia- + cosmos, partially calquing Sanskrit त्रिसहस्रमहासहस्रलोकधातु (trisahasramahāsahasralokadhātu, literally “three thousand million world element”).