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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 "bee" plus "man," originally an occupational term (and surname) for someone who tended bees.

A reduced anglicized form of Irish Ó Maolchathaigh ("descendant of the devotee of Saint Cathach").

From Czech Novotný.

Perhaps a variant of Canwell, a habitational surname.

From Irish Ó hArragáin, from a diminutive of ánradh ("warrior").

German and Jewish surname, from the adjective schnell (“quick, swift”). Compare Snell, Speed.

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciaragáin (“grandson/descendant of Ciaragán”), a byname from a double diminutive of ciar (“black”).

Borrowed from Arabic فَرَح (faraḥ, “joy”).

From a medieval variant of the name Winfred.

As a surname, from French; as a given name, from Latin Dione, itself from Greek.

Both the surname and village are from Old English flag (“slab”), itself borrowed from Old Norse flaga, from Proto-Germanic *flaką (“something flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”).

From Cantonese 曾 (zang¹).

From Mandarin 花 (Huā) or 華/华 (Huà).

From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 葉／叶 (Yeh⁴).

Anglicized form of Irish Ó hIfearnáin (“descendant of Ifearnán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive form of ifreannach (“demon”), from ifreann (“hell”).

From Arabic قُرَشِيّ (qurašiyy).

From an Old English personal name Bōfa plus -ing ("belonging to") plus tūn ("settlement").

Germanized spelling of Polish Berkowicz, a Jewish Ashkenazi surname.

From Korean 서 (Seo); cognate with English Xu, from Mandarin.

From Korean 서(徐) (Seo). Cognate with English Xu (from Mandarin).

Borrowed from Japanese 佐藤 (Satō).

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Ionnrachtaigh (“son of Ionnrachtach”), a byname meaning "attacker"; compare Hanratty.

Habitational surname from a place in Lincolnshire, England.

From Old English wudu (“wood”) + byriġ, the dative case of burg (“fortified place”).