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 Mapudungun maci.

Named after Walter Chrysler, who founded the Chrysler Corporation in 1925.

From Kyrgyz Чүй (Cüy).

From "pace" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y."

From Greek aneurysma ("a widening"), from ana- ("up") + eurys ("wide").

The Vodou sense traces to a class name of unclear African origin; the cryptocurrency sense comes from Spanish petróleo ("petroleum"), reflecting its claimed oil backing.

From Polish Polak, meaning simply "a Polish person" — neutral in Polish but has taken on a derogatory tone as an English loanword.

From Persian sâz, meaning "instrument," via French.

A shortened form of "kittiwake," itself imitating the bird's distinctive call.

From Latin Filumena, from Greek Φιλουμένη (Philouménē), "beloved".

A blend of "he" and "she," coined in the 1990s as part of a push for gender-neutral pronouns.

Via Latin Cadmus, from Ancient Greek Κάδμος (Kádmos).

A straightforward compound of west and side.

From south + side.

Uncertain origin, possibly from the exonym Sustika via the Klamath language.

From frack + -ing.

The verb sense is derived from the noun sense.

A clipped, informal form of "moustache."

From German Gold ("gold") and Berg ("mountain"); one of the ornamental surnames Jews were required to adopt in 18th- and 19th-century Germany.

From shit plus bag, modelled on the older insult scumbag.

Clipping of London.

From queen + -ie, an affectionate diminutive suffix.

From Latin integritas, "wholeness, soundness," from integer, "whole, untouched."

The pronoun use comes from Hokkien 甚物 / 什麼 (sím-mi̍h, "what"), borrowed into Singlish and Malaysian English.