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 a Slavic language; compare Russian ять (jat').

Shortened from "DirectX box," referencing Microsoft's DirectX graphics technology, used since the console's 2000 announcement.

A shortened form of "fitchew," ultimately from a Middle Dutch word for polecat.

Trademarked by Milton Bradley in 1956; the name is an alteration of an earlier name tied to "yacht," from a dice game once played on yachts.

From Spanish "fresno," meaning "ash tree."

From Hawaiian Kauaʻi; the original meaning is uncertain.

Anglicised form of Polish Łódź.

Inherited from Middle English cee.

Borrowed from Italian Federico (through immigration). Doublet of Frederick.

From Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Silvana, from Latin Silvāna.

A shortening of camouflage.

An initialism built the same way as "UFO," standing for "unidentified submerged/submarine object."

A compound of "break" and "back," first used in the 1940s for a hunched or bent back; it entered wider popular use after the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.

Coined in 1940 by comic writer Bill Parker as an acronym built from six mythical strongmen: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

A shortened form of "criticism," "critique," or "critical hit," depending on context.

Built from "buff" (the pale leather color) plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y."

Originally a nickname for a butcher, from kill hog.

From Proto-Germanic *amal- ("vigor, bravery") + *rīks ("ruler").

Named after the English optician who invented the lens design; the word also survives as a common English surname.

From Latin āmittō (“to lose, to send away”).

From Mandarin 美 (měi), meaning "beautiful."

From Latin Octāvius, the name of a Roman gens.

From Latin Octāvia, feminine of Octāvius, from octavus ("eighth").

From Georgian, referring to a class of folkloric spirits.