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 Mandarin lóng ("dragon"); the spelling "loong" is used to keep it distinct from the English word "long."

A shortened form of Old English compound names starting with eald, "old."

From Hokkien siáu, "mad; crazy."

Anglicized form of Irish Mac an Ultaigh (“son of the Ulsterman”), from Ultach (“Ulsterman”).

A transliteration of the Russian surname Шостако́вич, ultimately from a Slavic root meaning "sixth".

An alternative spelling of Hakim.

From French Rimbaud.

From Hindi प्रियंका (priyaṅkā).

Borrowed from Sanskrit पुष्प (puṣpa, "flower").

From Sanskrit, meaning "without sorrow" — the same root that gives the name Ashoka, the famous Indian emperor.

From Sanskrit pūjā, meaning "worship" or "reverence."

From Irish Feabhal.

From Italian Gio.

Origin uncertain; not connected to the town of Duras near Bordeaux despite the shared name.

From Ancient Greek stephanos, "crown" or "wreath" — the same root that gives us the name Stephen.

Clipping of Christopher.

Shortened from Khyber Pass.

From Hindi and Urdu bhāī ("brother"), ultimately from the Sanskrit word behind "brother" itself — the two words share the same distant ancestor.

A shortened form of the French surname Archambault, with the first syllable dropped over time.

From Dodd + -s (“patronymic suffix”). From Middle English Dodd.

Borrowed from Japanese ひでよし (Hideyoshi).

Borrowed from Japanese のぶなが (Nobunaga).

From Mandarin 漢陽/汉阳 (Hànyáng).

Borrowed from Japanese 井伊 (Ii).