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 the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 武功 (Wǔgōng).

Habitational surname from Patmore Heath in Hertfordshire, from an Old English personal name *Peatta + mere (“lake, pool”).

From French Nevers.

Borrowed from German Hasselhoff, a habitational surname.

Named after John DeLorean, the American automotive executive whose company built the car in the early 1980s.

A transliteration of Russian Алексей.

A transliteration of Russian Алексей.

Apparently, a variant of Grumble.

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Fhláimhín (“son of Flaithimhín”), a personal name from a diminutive of flaith (“prince, ruler”).

Borrowed from Japanese 尾崎 (Ozaki).

A blend of "star" and "base," coined for science-fiction settings and later reused as the name of a real rocket-launch site in Texas.

Borrowed from French Duquesne.

Borrowed from Hindi राठौड़ (rāṭhauṛ).

From Danish ny ("new") + borg ("fortress").

Patronymic form of Harp.

Borrowed from Korean 천 (Cheon).

Anglicized form of Welsh Siôn (“John”).

From the Italian and Portuguese surname, from dente (“tooth”).

Two main origins: * Scottish patronymic surname from Small. * English topographic surname for someone who lived near a rabbit warren, from the plural of Old English smygel (“burrow”).

Borrowed from Spanish tuco, a term used in South American — especially Argentine and Uruguayan — cooking.

Borrowed from German Munsch, a surname typical of Alsatia.

From Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā, "light, radiance").

Variant of Simcock.

From the Italian surname Maserati, the family who founded the company.