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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The "-ing" form of "carol," from Old French carole ("round dance with song").

From spit (“rod; skewer”) + -er.

From Italian banchetto, literally "a little bench" — describing a light snack eaten sitting on a small bench, which later grew into the grand-feast sense we use today.

From un- ("not") plus secured.

From un- (\"not\") plus turned.

From the surname Darwin plus the adjective-forming suffix -ian, referring to the naturalist Charles Darwin.

A simple compound of "fly" and "boy."

From Middle English rebellyng; equivalent to rebel + -ing.

A direct compound of safe + house.

From Middle English werrecraft, a compound of war and craft in its old sense of "skill" (and, separately, "vessel").

From Elysium, the paradise of Greek and Roman mythology reserved for heroic and virtuous souls after death.

From Medieval Latin "transformativus," ultimately from Latin "transformare" ("to transform").

Adjective is from photoshop (verb).

Borrowed from Latin gena, "cheek."

From Old French verveine, from Latin verbena — the same root as the garden plant "verbena".

Likely borrowed from Tamil முளரி (muḷari), meaning "bramble."

From un- ("not") plus shake plus -able.

From the verb "dun," meaning to persistently demand payment of a debt; origin uncertain, possibly linked to an old term for loud demanding.

From Old French coste, "rib, side, coast", from Latin costa, "rib" — the coast was seen as the "side" or "edge" of the land.

From Jacob + -son, a patronymic surname meaning "son of Jacob," related to Scandinavian forms like Jacobsen and Jakobsson.

From gulp + -ing.

A contraction of the older phrase "ye ones."

(Uranus): after its discoverer, William Herschel.

Named after French dressmaker Georgette de la Plante.