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

* Habitational, of Norman origin, after Bains (places in France in either Ille-et-Vilaine or Maine-et-Loire), from Old French baine (“bath”). * Variant of Bain or Bane with excrescent -s.

From Middle English Addyngborough, with the d changed to t by dissimilation, from earlier Adinburks, Adigburc, Hadinbur, meaning “The burh of the Eādings” or possibly “the burh of Eadda”.

Derived from the Brythonic ardu meaning "high"

Borrowed from Italian Gaeta.

From French porte ("gate"), translating the Ottoman Turkish name for the "Exalted Gate" of the sultan's palace, where government business was conducted.

A rare spelling variant of Holly.

A spelling variant of Carly.

From Egyptian jmn ("the god Amun"), via Coptic ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ (amoun).

From Philip + genitive (mainly patronymic) suffix -s.

From German "Eisen" (iron) and "Stein" (stone).

Borrowed from German Krupp.

Borrowed from Mandarin 左 (Zuǒ).

Taken directly from the scientific genus name Vanda.

From a Scots diminutive form of Peter and Patrick.

From a Middle English pet-form of Peter, from an Old French diminutive of Pierre.

From Piers + -son.

A variant of Piers.

A variant of Piers.

After French soldier and explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut.

A diminutive form of "chick," formed with the informal -ie ending.

From Old English oxanhierde, a compound of oxna + hierde, meaning oxherd. * (The city in California): Named after founding settler Henry T. Oxnard.

From Irish banbhán, meaning "piglet," later reshaped by association with the surname Bonham.

A clipped, informal form influenced by the prefix "trans-," also coinciding with a common Vietnamese surname.

Traced back through Swahili muhogo and Arabic to Portuguese mandioca, itself borrowed from an indigenous South American word for the plant.