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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A clipping of "omnivore."

Borrowed through Hebrew and Akkadian from an older Sumerian name for the region.

From the New Latin genus name Tellina, itself from an Ancient Greek word for a small bivalve shellfish.

* As an Islamic surname (Indian subcontinent), from Hindustani (Hindi बानू, बानो (bānū, bāno) / Urdu بانو (bānū, bānō)), from Persian بانو (bānū, bānō, “lady”), variant of Bano. * Borrowed from Bengali বানু (banu), a surname predominantly found in Bangladesh and West Bengal, probably related to the above. * Borrowed from Romanian Banu, from the medieval title ban; see Ban.

Borrowed from German Fräulein, a diminutive of Frau, "woman."

From Gaelic "Mac Gille Eoin," meaning "son of the servant of (Saint) John."

From Latin arentem, "drying, parched," the present participle of areo, "to be dry or withered."

From "thumb," as an English version of the original Danish name Tommelise, coined by Hans Christian Andersen.

From Latin sub- ("under") plus clavicula ("little key," the source of "clavicle" — the collarbone).

Possibly from Gaelic cathair an eige, "fort at the gap."

A shortened form of "zoot suit," itself likely a jazz-slang rhyme built on the word "suit."

From "reach" plus the agent suffix "-er."

A blend of did + nae, the Scots word for "not."

From Latin Octavianus, a derivative of Octāvius.

From Sanskrit sita, meaning "furrow" — the goddess was said to have been found in a ploughed furrow.

From a Middle English short form of the name Jordan.

From a Middle English short form of the name Jordan, combined with "son."

From the Biblical Hebrew name Šəḇāʾ.

From oak + land.

From an old form of German Biber, "beaver."

Two main origins: * Borrowed from German Leh, perhaps an altered spelling of Löh. * Borrowed from Khmer.

From Arabic نُورِيّ (nūriyy), related to nūr ("light").

Two possible origins: * Borrowed from Portuguese and Spanish Deniz, from a variant of the personal name Denís. * Borrowed from Turkish Deniz, an ornamental surname from deniz (“sea”).

Borrowed from North German Harken.