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 Greek "onomatopoiia," the making of names, from "onoma" (name) plus "poiein" (to make).

From Latin "obsequiosus," compliant, from "obsequi" (to comply with).

From Greek "elegos," a mournful poem or song.

The adjective of dystopia, from Greek "dys-" (bad) plus "topos" (place).

From Latin "discernere," to separate or distinguish, from "dis-" (apart) plus "cernere" (to sift).

From Greek "dikhotomia," a cutting in two, from "dikha" (in two) plus "temnein" (to cut).

From Greek "diaspora," a scattering or dispersion, from "speirein" (to sow). It was first used of the dispersal of the Jewish people and later broadened to any community living away from its ancestral home.

From Latin, literally "pluck the day," from the Roman poet Horace's Odes, where it advises enjoying the present because the future is uncertain.

From Latin "ad hoc," literally "for this" — that is, for this particular purpose.

An initialism with two unrelated expansions; the "public display of affection" sense is now much the more common in everyday use.

An initialism with several unrelated expansions; the sign-language sense is the oldest and most widely referenced in writing.

An initialism used independently in several fields; the cosmetic-surgery sense became the dominant one in general search during the 2010s and 2020s.

An initialism of "not safe for work," which arose in online forums and email as a courtesy warning before opening a link.

An initialism of the phrase "if you know, you know," which spread through social media captions and comments in the late 2010s.

An initialism of "fear of missing out," which came into wide use with social media in the 2000s and 2010s.

From Latin "contemptus," from "contemnere," to scorn or despise.

From Greek "dys-" (bad, difficult) plus "topos" (place), formed as the direct opposite of utopia.

From Greek "patriarkhēs," the head of a family, from "patēr" (father) plus "arkhein" (to rule).

From Greek "misos" (hatred) plus "gynē" (woman).

From Latin "intro-" (inward) plus "vertere" (to turn). The psychological sense was popularised in the early twentieth century through the work of Carl Jung.

procrastination

From Latin "procrastinare," to put off until tomorrow, from "pro-" (forward) plus "cras" (tomorrow).

From the 1938 stage play "Gas Light" by Patrick Hamilton, and its film adaptations, in which a husband dims the gas lamps and insists his wife is imagining it. The verb "to gaslight" followed, and the noun came into wide general use in the 2010s.

English · 2004

A compound of "tech," the informal short form of technology, and "whack," meaning to hit something hard and sharply. Coined as a website name; in use since 2004.

Formed in English from the prefix "un-" (not) plus "treatable," from the verb "treat." "Treat" entered English in the thirteenth century from Old French "traitier," from Latin "tractare," meaning to handle or manage.