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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

Formed from bar plus tending, on the model of bartender.

From German stein ("stone") and Metz ("mason").

Latinization of Old English Mierċe (literally “border people”), derived from mearc, whence mark.

Named after Queen Mariana of Austria (1634-1696).

Named after the Stradivari family of Italian instrument makers, most famously Antonio Stradivari.

Variant of Randall.

From French Roxane, from Ancient Greek Ῥωξᾱ́νη (Rhōxā́nē), from Old Persian *rauxšnā, from Proto-Indo-European *lówksneh₂. Doublet of Lua and Luna.

Origin uncertain; the scavenging sense arose in New York City street slang.

Borrowed from Italian Raffaele.

From Ann + -son (the former word is a diminutive).

Borrowed from Sanskrit Parvati, related to the word for "mountain" — reflecting her mythological origin as the daughter of the Himalayas.

Probably from morel, altered with an Italian-style ending, possibly influenced by Italian morello, "dark-coloured."

A transliteration of the Sanskrit word Indra.

From Italian Marianna, a blend related to Maria and Anna.

From Martin + -y.

Various place names in England, Old English leac (“leek”) + tun (“settlement”), also in the sense of a herb garden.

From "positive" plus the noun suffix "-ity."

From a French surname derived from the adjective camus, "flat-nosed".

From Cumbric caled ("hard") + duvr ("water").

Derived from Irish Mac Giolla Ruaidh.

From Spanish and Portuguese Marcos, both descending from Latin Marcus.

Borrowed from Romance; from Italian Falco and Catalan Falcó.

The chemistry sense is a coined term modeled on "alkene," substituting silicon for carbon; the plant genus name Silene is unrelated, from botanical Latin.

From pine + wood.