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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An imitative coinage, echoing the brief chirping sound of the interference.

A slangy shortening of whatever, with the informal "-s" ending added for a casual, chatty tone.

Derived from an unattested Old English proper name *Wemba and lēah (“clearing in a forest; meadow, leigh”).

A shortened, informal form of the word "fungus."

From the Portuguese surname Gama.

Taken from a trade name for the chemical, shortened from its full chemical description.

From Middle English his-self, his self, his-selfe, his-selven, his selfen; equivalent to his + -self.

From Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Ingrid, from Old Norse Ingiríðr.

From Norwegian Siri, a variant of Sigrid, whence also English Sigrid.

From Old Norse sigr, "victory," and fríðr, "beautiful."

Borrowed from Italian Asta.

Japanese · 1980

From Japanese オタク (otaku), which grew out of お宅 (otaku), a formal way of saying "your home" or "you." Fans in the early-1980s Macross anime fandom used it to address each other, and outsiders picked it up as a label — originally a bit of an insult, later reclaimed with pride by fans themselves.

A shortened form of "International Police."

A Latin form of Beatrice.

Borrowed from modern Scandinavian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) Astrid since the 19th century.

From Latin Lemovices, the name of a Gaulish tribe, likely referencing their skill with elm-wood bows and spears.

From "front" plus "line".

From Latin resectio, "a cutting off," from resecare ("to cut back").

From re- ("again") plus route.

From repair plus man.

From Middle French régénératif.

Formed from re- ("again") plus live.

From Medieval Latin repatriatio, "act of restoring someone to their homeland," built from re- plus patria, "fatherland."

Named after the way players end up packed tightly together, like sardines in a tin.