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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Comes down through Ottoman Turkish and Arabic, ultimately related to the Old Norse name Ásmundr, meaning roughly "divine protection."

From night + -y, a playful diminutive suffix used in casual speech.

From Arabic هَارُون (hārūn). Doublet of Aaron.

Borrowed from Turkish Murat.

From German spitz, "pointed."

From Arabic أَحْمَدِيّ (ahmadiyy) or Persian احمدی, ultimately built on the name Ahmad plus the suffix "-i" meaning "of or belonging to."

Borrowed from Arabic أَنْوَر (ʔanwar, “most luminous”).

Borrowed from Swedish Andersson.

From Danish and Norwegian Amundsen.

From Danish or Norwegian Andersen, a patronymic from Anders + -sen.

Sense 1: from Russian тара́нь (taránʹ). Sense 2: from Russian таран (taran).

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to the English town of Derby.

From Latin Aurēlius, a Roman family name related to aureus ("golden").

From Old High German sigu, "victory," and munt, "protection."

From lower (“to frown”) + -y.

Built from the verb "hue" (to shout or raise a cry) plus the agent suffix "-er" — literally, "one who hues."

Borrowed from Italian Vincenzo.

Borrowed from Italian Dario and Spanish Darío.

* As an English surname, variant of Mayes. * As a German surname, variant of Mais. * As a Dutch surname, from a short form of Thomas.

A regional variant spelling of whip.

From "belt" plus "-er," originally meaning simply someone who makes belts, later extended to anything impressively forceful.

From a French rendering of a Biloxi word meaning roughly "first people."

Formed from home + girl, the female counterpart to homeboy.