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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Borrowed from Hindustani katar ("dagger, sabre").

From Biblical Hebrew כֹּר (kōr).

From Russian soyuz, meaning "union."

Borrowed from Arabic حَيَاة (ḥayāh). This surname is mostly found in Pakistan.

From German Ems, from the Roman name, Latin Amisia.

From Jeff + -y.

From Hebrew sará ("lady, princess"), itself derived from the name Sarai.

Likely related to Dutch bazen or verbazen ("to astonish, stupefy") and an old German word basen ("to rave").

Invented by George Lucas for the Star Wars franchise; the term first appeared in his early manuscripts in the 1970s before reaching cinemas in 1999.

Borrowed from Uyghur نۇر (nur), meaning "light."

Borrowed from Turkish Recep.

Borrowed from Arabic سليم (salīm, "safe, sound").

Borrowed from Arabic صَالِح (ṣāliḥ, literally “pious”).

A compound of brave and heart.

Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old English [Term?]. Doublet of Livingstone. Cognate with Scots Leivinstoun.

Borrowed from Japanese 今井 (Imai).

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuana (“descendant of Cuana”), a personal name either derived from cú (“hound”) or cuanna (“elegant, comely”).

A Scots shortening of "haddock."

From German Graf ("count").

Perhaps from an Algonquian word meaning "gathering place by the water" or "the good land."

Borrowed from Swedish Ek.

Borrowed from German Happ.

From the French brand name Bic, which became generic for the cheap disposable pens and lighters it makes.

Taken directly from the scientific (Latin) genus name.