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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 German, Dutch, Low German, Danish, and Jewish surname, all from the first element of the Germanic name Heinrich.

From German stein ("stone") and berg ("mountain").

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Gamhna, from gamhain ("calf").

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic Gille Chriosd, meaning "servant of Christ."

Borrowed from German Epstein. See also Epshteyn from Yiddish.

From Old English rēad ("red") + ford ("ford").

Archaic variant of Bollin.

From Irish Ó Duibhlin. Doublet of Dolan.

Anglicized form of Irish Condún.

Borrowed from French Bouchard.

From Middle English Bayrestowe, derived from Old English beġer (“berry”) + stōw (“place, location”).

Borrowed from Thai พัทยา (pát-tá-yaa).

As an English surname, often traced to an old word for a physician or to a topographic term for marshland; as a German surname, it is an anglicized form of Meyer or Mayer.

Scottish habitational surname, perhaps from Middle English wether (“ram”) + spong (“narrow strip of land”).

From several different Chinese surnames, including: * Cantonese 趙 /赵 (ziu⁶) * Hokkien 周 (Chiu) * Mandarin 邱 (Qiū), Wade–Giles romanization: Chʻiu¹. Doublet of Qiu.

From Old English words meaning "lake" and "hill" — a hill by a pool or lake.

From the German surname, variant of Hermann.

From Chinese 關 /关 (guān), via various dialects.

From Old English nosu ("nose") + bita ("bit, fragment") or byht ("bend, bay"), likely describing a curved or jutting piece of land.

From Old English nīewe (“new”) + byriġ, the dative case of burg (“stronghold”).

Borrowed from German Weinstein or Yiddish ווײַנשטיין (wine stone). The verb is from the behavior of Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood movie mogul and convicted sex offender.

From Irish Muirgheasa.

From Old Norse bretar ("Britons") or birki ("birch") plus skógr ("wood").

Variant of Cockburn.