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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Borrowed from German Brandeis.

Variant of Haswell.

Plural form of Elm.

From Middle English grew, from Old English grēow (first and third person past tense of grōwan), from West Germanic *greu, from Northwest Germanic *grerō, from Proto-Germanic *gegrō (first and third person past tense of *grōaną), reduplication of *grōaną.

A variant of Brauner.

From Japanese 呉 (Kure).

From "rhino," short for rhinoceros — chosen as a mascot name for its association with strength and toughness.

From "kangaroo," Australia’s national animal, used as the team’s nickname.

Named after Henri-Louis Pernod, the Swiss distiller who founded the brand.

Borrowed from German Emme.

Borrowed from German Schopenhauer.

The name of the organization was derived from the initialism of thirty-mile zone.

Formed from "roar" + the adjective suffix "-y."

From "winkle" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning "one who does."

From Nat Sherman, a cigarette brand once commonly dipped in PCP because, unlike most cigarettes, it held together when wet.

From Italian, a feminine form of Cosimo.

From French Vuitton.

Named collectively after several towns sharing "Hampton" in their names, such as Southampton and East Hampton.

Various origins: * A reduced form of McGath, a Scottish surname. * A variant of Garth, an English topographic surname. * Borrowed from North German Gath, a topographic surname from Middle Low German gate (“street, alley”).

Borrowed directly from the Japanese surname 田口 (Taguchi), literally "rice-field mouth/entrance."

From the surname Baker.

Variant of German Bittermann.

Borrowed from French Gauguin.

Patronymic from a medieval form of the personal name Ralph.