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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From Spanish cortes, meaning "courts" or "courtly."

Borrowed from Japanese 松本 (まつもと, Matsumoto).

From German Meier.

Borrowed from Japanese kagome, referring to the gaps in a woven basket.

From an old Iranian root meaning roughly "with dams", via Persian and Pashto.

Clipping of Hefner.

Anglicised from an Irish equivalent of David.

Scottish habitational surname from a minor place near Lennoxtown, from Scottish Gaelic ceann (“head, top”) + càithe (“pass”) or cadha (“quagmire”).

An imitative interjection, echoing the sound someone makes when retching or gagging.

A German surname, borrowed into English as-is.

Named after the 1946 film "Gilda"; the snack was supposedly considered as spicy and striking as the film's title character.

From Sanskrit vina, related to an old Persian word for a similar lute-like instrument.

Borrowed from Georgian chacha.

From Russian Го́рький (Górʹkij).

The name of the Pawnee Native American nation and their nearly extinct language.

From Middle Dutch brac, the same root that gives English "brackish."

From German Isolde, itself derived from the older Celtic/Germanic name Iseult.

Borrowed from Marathi पुणे (puṇe).

Named after Aror, medieval name of the city in Rohri.

Borrowed from German Hartmann.

Borrowed from German Weiß.

Borrowed from German Rothstein.

Named after Hořovice, a town in the Czech Republic that once had a large Jewish population.

Borrowed from German Rosenthal, literally "rose valley".