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.

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Coined from "bit" (as in binary digit) plus "coin", by the pseudonymous creator known as Satoshi Nakamoto, first described in a 2008 white paper on peer-to-peer digital cash.

Shortening of Jason.

From Middle English clarie, from Anglo-Norman sclaree, from Late or Medieval Latin sclarēia.

A playful blend of "freak" with the mock-scientific-sounding suffix "-oid."

From Dutch boeijer, named for the vessel's job laying buoys (boeijen) to mark channels.

A cutesy extension of "pooch," itself an informal American word for dog.

* As a Jewish and German surname, from the noun Haber (“oat”), more commonly spelled as Haver. * Also as a Jewish surname, from the German name (Habern) for Habry in the Czech Republic. This name is from Czech habr (“hornbeam”).

From Egyptian Arabic اَلْجِيزَة (il-Gīza). The etymology is uncertain. Al-Maqrizi derives it from Classical Syriac ܓܸܣܵܐ (gessā, “side”). Peust suggests a Persian etymology from Persian دز (dez, “castle”). Everett-Heath suggests an Egyptian etymology from Egyptian r-gs-ḥr (“on the side of the high one (pyramid)”).

From the name Dean plus the informal suffix "-o".

From the Roman-era name Lentia.

From German Heidelberg, from an uncertain word and Berg (“mountain”).

From Sanskrit prabhu, meaning "lord, master, prince".

A blend of "Linus" (its creator, Linus Torvalds) and "Unix," the earlier operating system family it was inspired by.

From Irish Ó Ceallacháin; a doublet of Kelly and Kellogg.

Borrowed from Okinawan gooyaa, the local name for bitter melon.

First named in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," from Dutch bliksem, "lightning."

Named after Davos, a mountain resort town in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland, which has hosted the World Economic Forum since 1971.

From German Böhm.

Borrowed from German Bloch.

From judge plus -y, an informal coinage from the late 2000s.

From Spanish, derived from Belen, the Spanish name for Bethlehem.

From the endonym of the Blin people of the Eritrean highlands.

Borrowed from Spanish Ramírez.

Borrowed from Sanskrit वरुण (váruṇa, “Varuna”).