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 woof + -er.

From Middle English worthynesse, equivalent to worthy + -ness.

From wood + carver.

From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake.

First use appears c. 1513, from Middle Low German weddersins (also wēder-, -sinnes), from wed(d)der- (“wither-, against, opposite”) + genitive of sin (“direction, way”).

From Yiddish, probably from יאָנץ (yonts).

American English student slang 1954; perhaps navy slang before that. "Expert" sense popularized in the Clinton administration, 1993. Origin uncertain, possibly from wonky (“shaky, unreliable”) or wank, wanker or simply expressive.

From Middle English wofare, equivalent to woe + fare.

From year + -tide (“time, occasion”). Compare West Frisian jiertiid (“season”), Dutch jaartijd, jaargetijde (“season”), German Jahreszeit (“season”), Swedish årstid (“season”), Icelandic árstíð (“season”), Yiddish יאָרצײַט (yortsayt). Piecewise doublet of yahrzeit.

From Middle English wolfesse, wolvas, wolvesse. By surface analysis, wolf + -ess.

From woods + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives), to distinguish the word from woody (“made of wood, or having wood-like properties, etc.”).

Russian юс (jus), from Old Church Slavonic ѫсъ (ǫsŭ, “big yus”)

From yellow + head.

From woman and women; respelled so as not to contain the words man or men. Compare myn.

From late Old English wræstlung.

From wreck + -able.

From yak + -fest.

From (northern) Middle English *ȝuken, *ȝokken (suggested by Middle English ȝukynge, ȝokkyn (“itching”) and yuke (“an itching disease”)), from Middle Dutch jucken, jocken (“to itch”), from Old Dutch *jukken, from Proto-West Germanic *jukkjan (“to itch”). Doublet of itch.

From yak + -er.

Spelling variant of Wynn

From width + -en (verbal suffix).

From zym- + -osis.

Possibly from a shortening of gadzooks. Compare also yoicks.

From Middle English yongly, ȝongly, ȝunglich, from Old English ġeonglīċ (“youthful”), equivalent to young + -ly.