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 French mètre, from Greek metron ("measure").

An American respelling of "aeroplane," itself formed from Greek aer ("air") and French plane, referring to the flat wing surface that generates lift.

Borrowed from French aéroplane, from Greek ἀήρ ("air") plus πλάνος ("wandering"). The term was first used in an 1855 patent.

From Middle English wherfore, built from "where-" (meaning "what") plus "for."

From Hebrew shabbat via Greek and Latin sabbatum, ultimately tied to a root meaning "to rest" or "to cease."

From Old French covenant, from Latin conveniēns ("agreeing"), the present participle of convenire ("to agree, to come together") — related to "convenient" and "convene."

From Middle English metere ("one who measures"), related to the verb mete ("to measure"); later applied to measuring devices, likely influenced by words like barometer and thermometer.

From Hebrew behemot, a giant beast described in the Book of Job, itself likely an intensive plural of the Hebrew word for "beast."

From Old English synn ("sin, guilt"), traced back to a Germanic root connected to words for "truth" and "guilt" — likely originally meaning something like "being truly guilty" of a charge.

From Old English þīn, the old second-person possessive — the ancestor of "your" and "yours".

From Middle English "thi," a worn-down form of "thin," the old possessive of "thou" — the archaic singular counterpart to modern "you."

From Old English behealdan, meaning "to hold, keep watch on, or observe," built from be- plus "hold."

A learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew halləluyah, meaning "praise the Lord."

From Hindustani pājāma, from Persian pāy ("leg") plus jāma ("garment") — originally loose trousers, later applied to sleepwear.

From Old English grǣġ, the West Saxon form; the alternate spelling "grey" comes from the Anglian form. Related to an ancient root meaning "to grow" or "to become green".

From Old English þē, the object form of "thou," related to modern "thee/thou/thy."

From Old English grēg. The "grey" spelling comes from an older dialect form, while "gray" (the usual American spelling) comes from a slightly different Old English form — both mean the same thing.

From Old English þū, the original singular form of "you"; it fell out of everyday use as English simplified its pronouns, surviving mainly in older literature, prayer, and dialect.

From Latin doctrina, "teaching," from docere, "to teach" — the same root as "doctor."

From Aramaic אבא (ʼabbā), meaning "father", carried into English through Greek and Latin religious texts.

From Old English nēahgebūr, literally "near dweller" — a combination of nēah ("near") and gebūr ("farmer, dweller"). It also exists as an English surname with the same root.

From Old French sauveour, from Late Latin salvātor, "one who saves."

From Latin tumor ("a swelling"), from tumēre ("to swell") — a distant relative of the English word "thumb."

From Latin splendor, from splendēre, "to shine."