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 Ukrainian наді́я (nadíja, "hope").

Ukrainian initialism ТОВ, short for tovarystvo z obmezhenoiu vidpovidalnistiu, literally "company with limited liability."

From Middle English children, alteration of earlier childre ("children"; > English dialectal childer), from Old English ċildru, ċildra (“children”), nominative and accusative plural of ċild (“child”), equivalent to child + -ren.

Learned borrowing from Latin Cylōn, from Ancient Greek Κῠ́λων (Kŭ́lōn).

Borrowed from Russian Ильи́ч (Ilʹíč).

From Arabic فَاتِح (fātiḥ).

From Hindi "sapna," meaning "dream."

Borrowed from Japanese 神崎 (Kanzaki).

Originally a trademark for a system made by Spireon, it later became a generic term for any such device. The name plays on "hijack," swapping "hi" for its opposite, "lo."

According to Watson (1926), from a Pictish river-name; equivalent to Welsh caled (“hard”) + dwr (“water”).

Probably from Welsh.

Named after Well, Lincolnshire, from Old English wielle (“fountain, spring”). Cognate with English well.

Variant of with.

From the abbreviation "Chch."

Named after Sedona Schnebly (1877-1950), whose own name was coined by her mother.

From Sanskrit shruti, meaning "that which is heard."

Borrowed from Japanese 池(いけ)袋(ぶくろ) (Ikebukuro).

A variant spelling of Charlie, itself a diminutive of Charles.

A clipping of "Magpies".

An invented brand name created around 1987 by a marketing team, chosen for how smoothly it sounds rather than for any specific meaning.

From the Hindi word maruti, also the name of a Hindu wind deity, adopted as the manufacturer's brand name.

Abbreviation of La Leche League.

Borrowed from French Pigalle.

"The man who lives south in the village", from Old Norse suðr i bý (“south in the village”). The surname presumably comes from a now defunct placename in England.