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 French Viviane, from Latin vivus, "living."

From Christmas + time.

From Romani roma, the plural of rom ("man, Romani man"), ultimately traced to a Sanskrit word for a caste of traveling musicians.

Borrowed from Japanese 青(あお)森(もり) (Aomori). The original Japanese name was first used in 1624. One origin claims that the city's name was derived from a former forest on a hill near present-day Honcho (本町) used by fishermen to locate the town.

A coined pharmaceutical name built from "phenethyl" and "anilide," reflecting its chemical structure.

Borrowed from Japanese, where the word likely traces back to the Chinese term for wonton.

Borrowed from French Margaux, a variant of Margaret.

A pet form of Lydia, respelled with a "y" ending to match the sound.

A clipped, informal form of "Photoshop" used as a slang verb and noun once photo-editing became a casual internet activity.

From Hindi rājpūt, from Sanskrit rājaputra, literally "son of a king" — from rājan ("king") and putra ("son").

From corruption of French louis, from Louis, presumably Louis IX or Louis XI, who issued gold écus.

From bus plus load.

From Persian and Hindustani bahādur ("brave, valiant"); it shares an origin with the Slavic word bogatyr, meaning "hero".

From "beast" plus the diminutive suffix "-ie," giving it a softer, more affectionate tone.

From belch + -er.

An imitative word — it simply mimics the short, sharp sound it describes, much like "beep" or "blip."

Named after Gaston Glock (1929-2023), the Austrian engineer who designed the pistol.

An alteration of "grandpa."

From Latin laetitia, meaning "happiness."

From Latin laetitia, "gladness".

From French Jeannine, from Jeanne + -ine, q.v. Sometimes also parsed as a diminutive of English Jean, Jeanne, &c. Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.

Borrowed from French Francine.

Borrowed from Japanese Ishikawa (石川).

From Japanese 金沢(かなざわ) (Kanazawa, literally “golden marsh”).