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 Middle English, from Old French Beauchamp.

Borrowed from Korean 변 (byeon).

An English surname thought to come from "Jobelin," a diminutive of the biblical name Job, once used somewhat mockingly to suggest slow-witted patience.

From Scots cruick ("bent; lame") plus shank ("leg").

Borrowed from Mandarin 田 (tián).

From Russian Петро́в (Petróv) or Bulgarian Петров (Petrov).

Belarusian Рама́н (Ramán)

From Old English west + lēah (“westerly wood or clearing”); in Suffolk recorded as Westlea in 1086 (DB).

From either Old English personal name *Weorc, in the genitive case *Weorces + Proto-Brythonic *koɨd (“a wood”) + lēah (“wood clearing, glade”), or else from the feminine personal name *Worcgȳth, genitive singular *Weorcgȳthe + lēah. Also suggested is derivation from Proto-Brythonic *gwor- (“over-, above”) + celli (“grove”), with late Cumbric devoicing being evident in early forms.

Anglicization of Bengali চাটুজ্জে (caṭujje).

A variant spelling of the surname Pilsbury.

From Old English "long" + "worth" (enclosure or homestead).

Borrowed from Korean 허(許) (heo).

Borrowed from Kannada ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ (śeṭṭi).

Borrowed from Cantonese 岑 (sam4) or Cantonese 沈 (sam2), when the initial was still [ɕ] during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

From Old English willa (“mind, will, determination, purpose, desire, wish”) + mǣre (“famous”), from Proto-Germanic *Wiljamērijaz, from *wiljô + *mērijaz.

Various etymologies: * Portuguese Jacó * Italian Jàco or Italian Jacò * Czech or Slovak Jačo

Transliteration of Hindi तिवारी (tivārī), Nepali तिवारी (tiwārī).

Borrowed from Korean 현 (hyeon), from Chinese 玄 (xuán).

A mutation of the placename Starbeck (“an area in North Yorkshire, England”).

From Middle English words for "booth" and "well, spring."

Possibly a variant of Trumble.

Borrowed from Arabic سَلْمَان (salmān).

Variant of Flanagan.