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 Middle English sodomyte, sodomite, from Old French Sodomite and Latin sodomīta, from Ancient Greek σοδομίτης (sodomítēs). Equivalent to Sodom + -ite.

Inherited from Middle English festivite, from Middle French festivité, from Latin festīvitas, equivalent to festive + -ity.

From disdain + -ful.

From Middle English smertyng, smertinge, from Old English smeortung, smertung (“smarting, itching”), equivalent to smart + -ing.

From by- + name. Cognate with Dutch bijnaam (“nickname”), German Beiname (“nickname, epithet”), Swedish binamn, Danish binavn and Norwegian Bokmål binavn.

From Old French, from Latin perplexus (“entangled, confused”), from per (“through”) + plexus, perfect passive participle of plectō (“plait, weave, braid”).

A bahuvrihi compound of low + brow. An Americanism whose first use appears c. 1902. Refers to the (by that time discredited) pseudoscience of phrenology, which suggested that a person of low intelligence and sophistication would possess a lower brow-line than someone of greater intelligence and sophistication.

From attain + -ment; compare Old French ataignement.

From Middle French chandelerie, from chandelier (“chandler”). Equivalent to candle + -ery.

From French cartographie, from carte (“map”) (ultimately from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “map”)) + -graphie (“-graphy”) (from γράφω (gráphō, “write”)); carto- (“map”) + -graphy.

From Middle English lollen, lullen (“to lounge idly, hang loosely”), of uncertain origin; the Middle English Dictionary suggests a derivation from Middle Dutch lollen, lullen (“to doze; to mumble, talk nonsense”), though the words could merely be cognate. Compare modern Dutch lol (“fun”)), Icelandic lolla (“to act lazily”). See also lull.

Variant of carsey, from euphemistic Cockney corruption of Italian casa (“house”), possibly via Polari and Sabir.

From the stem of deterrent + -ence.

From Middle French dogmatique and its etymon, Late Latin dogmaticus, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek δογματικός (dogmatikós, “didactic”), from δόγμα (dógma, “dogma”).

From Middle English buxom, also ibucsum, ibuhsum (“bendsome, flexible, pliant, obedient”), from Old English bōcsum, *būhsum, *ġebūhsum (“bendsome, pliant, obedient”), from Proto-West Germanic *beuhsam, *beugsam, equivalent to bow (“to bend, bow at the waist”) + -some or buck (“to bend, buckle, kick”) + -some. Cognate with Scots bowsome (“compliant”), West Frisian bûgsum (“flexible, bendy”), Dutch buigzaam (“flexible, pliant”), German biegsam (“flexible, pliant”).

PIE word *tréyes From Middle English tributarie (“paying tribute”), from Latin tribūtārius, from tribūtum (“tribute”).

From Middle English pacificacion, from Old French pacification.

From the sense of aught to refer to the number zero.

From Middle English hillok (“hillock”), a topographic surname for someone who lived near or on a hillock.

Partly from Middle French verbaliser and partly from verbal + -ize.

Apheretic form of retard.

From course + work.

Borrowed from Middle French refutation (compare French réfutation, Spanish refutación, Portuguese refutação, Italian refutazione) or its etymon Latin refūtātiō, from refūtō + -ātiō. By surface analysis, refute + -ation. First attested in 1536 (in sense 1).

Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley. From a- + gnostic + -ism (see also agnostic).