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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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Borrowed from Urdu جِناح (jināh), from Gujarati ઝીણા (jhīṇā).

* The name of the village in Norfolk derives from Old English worþig (“enclosure”). * The name of the town in West Sussex derives from the unattested Old English personal name *Weorþ + -ing (“belonging to”).

Borrowed from German Grimm.

Patronymic surname from the personal name Tubbe.

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Díomasaigh (“descendant of Díomasach”), a byname deriving from díomasach (“proud, arrogant”).

From a Scottish surname derived from Old French l'isle, meaning "the island."

From Welsh carreg ("rock") plus Old English tūn ("enclosure; settlement"), the source of the -ton ending.

A variant form of the surname Lomax.

Anglicized form of Irish and Scottish Gaelic Mac Brighde (“son of the servant of (Saint) Brigit”). Compare Kilbride, Bredin.

From Old English ōfer (“riverbank”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

Named after Anthony Comstock, a 19th-century American anti-vice campaigner whose name became attached to strict censorship laws he championed.

Anglicized from Irish Ó Cathail.

From Czech or Slovak Novák, ultimately meaning "new one" or "newcomer."

From a Manx form of McPhail; also possibly an English nickname from the quail bird.

From a medieval diminutive of the given name Paul.

From Latin "flavus," meaning "golden" or "yellow."

From Middle English holden, from Old English healden, from Proto-West Germanic *haldan. By surface analysis, hold + -en.

From Japanese 三菱 (Mitsubishi), literally "three diamonds," referencing the company's three-diamond logo.

* A shortened Anglicization of Scottish Gaelic Ó Taithligh and Ó Maol Tuile. * A variant of Tolley and Tullie.

Borrowed from Italian Neri; this surname is also well-attested in Spanish-speaking countries.

Heterographic variant of Woolley.

Habitational surname from a place in Somerset, from Old English wielle (“well, spring”) + cot (“cottage, shelter”).

From Old English hwīt (“white”) + worð (“enclosure”).

From Old English *Hwītæcer (literally “white-acre”).