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 Late Latin, based on Latin colosseus ("colossal"), referring to a giant statue that once stood nearby.

Named after Sir Hugh Thomas Munro, the Scottish mountaineer who first catalogued these peaks in 1891.

The past participle of the verb bog.

From Mexican Spanish slang, tracing back to chivato, and used mainly in northwestern Mexican states like Sinaloa and Sonora before spreading into Chicano English.

From Old English ruh ("rough") + leah ("clearing, wood").

From Irish Ó Conaill (literally “descendant of Conall”), from Proto-Celtic *Kunowalos (literally “dog chief”).

Ultimately from Proto-Slavic milu, meaning "dear" or "kind."

From Arabic zina.

A blend of "goose" and "swan."

Borrowed from Japanese sugi, the name for the Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica).

From Russian and Bulgarian Galina, ultimately from the Greek word for "calm," also the name of a sea nymph in Greek myth.

Borrowed from Russian Оле́г, a Varangian name from Old Norse Helgi ("holy").

Formed from scratch plus the agent suffix -er.

From Old High German nord (“north”) + beraht (“bright”).

A playful nickname, likely a punning stretch from "till" (a cash register or money drawer) combined with the familiar girl's name Tillie.

From Maud + -ie.

From punish + -er.

The German name for the Polish town of Oświęcim, near which the camp was built.

Borrowed from French Bayonne. The first element of the name is variously said to be Basque or Latin; the second element is Basque on (“good”). More at Bayonne. Also compare Latin baia.

Borrowed from German Hagen.

As a surname, borrowed from the German surname Lill.

From crash plus the agent suffix -er, in the sense "one who crashes (a party)".

Transliteration of Russian Пу́тин (Pútin).