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 mill + ford.

The name combines "chlor-" (referring to a chlorine atom in its structure) with "-azepam," the ending used for drugs in the diazepam family.

Variant spelling of Leahy.

Traced through Old French Escalibor back to a Welsh original meaning roughly "hard cleft," related to the Irish sword-name Caladbolg.

From the suffix -ome, seen in words like genome and proteome, on the model of "-ology."

From the Spanish phrase aceituna zapatera, literally an olive gone bad enough to be fit only for a cobbler's use rather than eating.

From Arabic فَتْح (fatḥ), a reverse acronym (meaning literally "conquest, victory or an outcome") for حَرَكَة اَلتَّحْرِير اَلْوَطَنِيّ اَلْفِلَسْطِينِيّ (ḥaraka(t) at-taḥrīr al-waṭaniyy al-filasṭīniyy, “Palestinian National Liberation Movement”).

A straightforward compound of "torch" and "wood," describing wood suited to making torches.

From Latin orientalis, "eastern," from oriens, "rising sun" — built on the same root as "orient."

Origin uncertain and long debated; likely traces through Old French and Medieval Latin back to a Celtic word for rock, since barnacles cling to rocky surfaces.

From Arabic نُور (nūr, “light”).

From Latin Vespasianus, the family name of the emperor.

From the Mandarin Chinese romanization Kāshí, a shortened form ultimately tracing back through Manchu and Oirat to the Persian name for Kashgar.

From Malay Sakai.

From "Jane" plus the diminutive suffix "-elle," following the same pattern as "Janine" or "Jeanette."

A blend of pass and code.

From the Old English adjective blīþe, meaning "merry" or "joyful" — related to the modern word blithe. It also gives its name to several English and American places, including a river in Warwickshire.

From a place name in Hertfordshire, from the medieval given name Royce + Old English tūn (“settlement”).

Derived from the Middle English given name Rose. See English Rose.

From Old English Ecgberht, combining ecg ("edge of a blade") and beorht ("bright").

From Persian سمیرا.

From Old English bucca ("he-goat") + lēah ("woodland clearing").

From Persian, referring to the Pleiades star cluster.

From Old French bayart, of uncertain origin, related to "bay" describing a reddish-brown horse colour.