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

Borrowed from Japanese 林 (Hayashi).

Borrowed from the Korean surname 주 (ju).

Named after Jacques La Ramie, a fur trapper who visited the area in the early 19th century.

Borrowed from Japanese ひとみ (Hitomi), a given name with numerous possible original kanji.

From Beth + -ie.

From Spanish, a diminutive form related to "pepita".

From French panisse, a specialty of the Provence and Nice regions.

From Biblical Hebrew via Greek, ultimately referring to a Moabite deity ("Baal of Peor") later demonised in Christian tradition.

From Lord Voldemort, the villain of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, whose name characters fearfully avoid saying aloud, preferring euphemisms like "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Alternative form of Gillett. * Razor brand: invented by American businessman King C. Gillette.

From Old English "north" plus "wood," describing a wood or forest situated to the north.

From Spanish caliente ("hot").

A misspelling of Spanish cuesta ("ridge, slope").

Habitational surname from two minor places in England, from Old English æsċ (“ash tree”) + croft (“enclosed field”).

From Old English wer (“weir”) + feld (“field”).

Named after the Scottish surname MacFarlane, likely from an early maker or wearer associated with the style.

Named after Dagwood Bumstead, a comic-strip character from "Blondie" famous for making towering sandwiches.

From the prefix neo- ("new"), popularized as a name by the 1999 film The Matrix, where it is revealed to be an anagram of "the One."

From Biblical Hebrew מָגוֹג (magog).

From Spanish "nogales," meaning "walnut trees."

Borrowed from Japanese 黒木(くろき) (Kuroki). The hamlet is named for general Kuroki Tamemoto, and was founded during the Russo-Japanese war.

Borrowed from German Humboldt.

An anglicized version of Danish/Norwegian Eriksen or Swedish Eriksson, both meaning "son of Erik."

Spelling variant of Hayes, which has multiple origins.