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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 many placenames in England and Scotland, including: * Old English hyll (“hill”) + tun (“settlement”); sometimes the first element is interpreted as Old English hield (“slope”) or helde (“tansy”) * From Norman Hildun, from Old English hild (“battle”) + húnn (“bear cub”)

From a Middle English form of the given name Hilbert.

Uncertain origin, likely connected to the Middle English word for a deer, the ancestor of modern "hart."

* As an English surname, by way of Norman/Anglo-Norman/Middle English/Old French from Proto-West Germanic *hari (“army”) + *mann (“man”), similar to Herman. Also Americanized from German variants such as Harmann, Hermann. Compare Harman. * As an Irish surname, variant of Hargadon, from Ó hArgadáin (literally “descendant of Argadán”), from a diminutive of airgead (“silver”).

Calque of the Irish surname Mac Giolla Phádraig (“son of the devotee of Saint Patrick”). By surface analysis, Fitz- + Patrick.

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fiannaidhe (“descendant of Fiannaidhe”), a byname meaning "warrior", from fiann (“army”).

From Old English fearn (“fern”) + lēah (“woodland”). Equivalent to fern + -ley (“lea”) and doublet of Farnley.

From the French occupational surname meaning "smith" or "ironworker," variant of Favre, both from Latin faber (“craftsman”). Doublet of Dobry.

From the genitive form of Old English cran ("crane") plus tūn ("enclosure; settlement").

Named after American horticulturist Edwin Crenshaw, who helped develop the variety.

Variant spelling of cob.

Probably from Pictish. The first element is equivalent to Welsh caer (“fort, ramparts”).

From Cumbric *cayr ("fort") combined with the personal name Michael.

From Old English words meaning "cattle enclosure."

A pet form of the Middle English personal name Babb.

From Old English alor ("alder") + wic ("farmstead") — literally "farm by the alder trees."

In the United States, many of the places established since 1909 are named after William Howard Taft.

From Gaelic sluaghán, related to sluagh, "army, host."

From Sim, the short form of Simon + -s.

From Old English scylfe ("shelf, ledge") plus tun ("settlement"); related to the surname Skelton.

From Irish Ó Dubhthaigh, from dubh ("black").

As an Irish surname it anglicizes Ó Meidhir; as an English surname it is a variant of Myer; as a Dutch or German surname it anglicizes Meyers or Mayers.

From Spanish Salazar, from sala (“hall”) + Basque zahar (“old”).