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 Sim, the short form of Simon + -s.

A variant spelling of "holler," itself from "hollo," an old shout used to attract attention.

From regenerate + -ed.

From German Volkswagen, literally "people's car" — the company was founded in the 1930s with the goal of producing an affordable car for ordinary German families.

Borrowed from German Reiner; a doublet of Rayner.

A variant of the surname Rayner, from a medieval Germanic given name combining roots meaning "counsel" and "army."

Borrowed from German Manfred, combining Germanic elements meaning roughly "man" and "peace."

From Khmer លីវ (liiw).

Clipping of coochie.

From the Latin root of Dores, from Ancient Greek Dōrieús ("of Doris"), the mythical homeland of the Dorians.

From under- plus stated.

From cut plus the adjectival suffix -y, meaning literally "cut short."

Borrowed from Italian Alina, or a Latinate form of French Aline, ultimately from diminutives of the same Germanic name Adela, Adele.

Borrowed from Italian Rinaldo.

Borrowed from French Renaud.

Shortening of Ronald + -y. A less common spelling of Ronnie.

Formed from the Disney name plus -land, following the pattern of place names like "Wonderland."

From a Miwok-related word meaning roughly "those who kill," originally referring to the people who lived in the valley.

From the region of Biscay in northern Spain, also lending its name to Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park in Florida.

From French marais, "marsh" — also the name of a historic district in Paris built on reclaimed marshland.

Borrowed from the German given name Bernd, adopted as forum slang after being used as a placeholder name for anonymous users.

From Russian Irína, ultimately sharing a root with the Greek-derived English name Irene.

Borrowed from Sanskrit garuḍa.

From pre- ("before, in front of") plus frontal.