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 French dénudation, from Latin denudatio.

Borrowed from Latin surrēptīcius (“furtive, clandestine”), from surrēpō (“to creep along”).

From tenant + -cy.

Shortened from zeppelin.

From cubby + hole.

From transcend + -ency.

From Italian rivoletto, diminutive of rivolo (“trickle, little stream”), diminutive of rivo (“stream, brook, creek”), ultimately from Latin rīvulus, diminutive of rīvus. By surface analysis, Latin rīvus + -ule + -et.

Coined circa 1640, from dis- + believe. Compare misbelieve.

Borrowed from New Latin plausibilitās.

From Middle English stoicalle, from Latin stōicus + -al. By surface analysis, stoic + -al.

From Latin pēs (“foot”). Doublet of foot, pie (“Spanish unit of length”), and pous.

From Middle English bistanden, bestanden, from Old English bestandan, from Proto-West Germanic *bistandan, from Proto-Germanic *bistandaną (“to surround, support”). Equivalent to be- (“around, by”) + stand.

From stop + cock.

From Jemmy, diminutive of James. The verb is from the noun.

From Latin puerīlis (“childish”), from puer (“child, boy”). By surface analysis, puer + -ile.

From Middle English fangelen (verb), from fangel (“inclined to take”, adjective), from Old English *fangol, *fangel (“inclined to take”), from fōn (“to take, seize”). Compare Old English andfangol (“undertaker, contractor”), Old English underfangelnes (“undertaking, hospitality”), Middle English fangen (“to take, seize, catch”), German fangen (“to catch”). More at fang.

Fanciful variant of discompose, discomfit, etc., originally discombobricate. The -bob- interfix may come from bobbery, meaning “commotion, noise”. First attested in 1834 in the United States.

From Middle French antichambre, with remodelling after ante- and chamber. By surface analysis, ante- + chamber.

From Middle French desconcerter, from des- (“dis-”) + concerter (“to bring into agreement, organize”).

From Middle English whyrlegygge; equivalent to whirl (noun or verb) + gig (“a top”).

From story + -ed.

1605, from re- + furbish, from Middle English furbishen, from Middle French forbir (stem furbiss-, “to clean, polish”), from Frankish *furbēn (“to clean, polish”).

From Middle English puerilite, from Middle French puérilité and its etymon Latin puerīlitās, from puerīlis (“childish, juvenile”), from puer (“boy”). By surface analysis, puerile + -ity.