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 moon + stone, named for its milky, moon-like sheen.

From zip plus the past-tense/adjective ending -ed.

By surface analysis, congratulate + -ing.

From scope + -ing.

Inherited from Middle English tolling.

From Old English roots meaning "to drive a stake," combined with the -ing ending.

From battle (“to nourish, feed”).

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

The -ing form of the verb whore.

From merchandise plus the suffix -ing, describing the ongoing practice or business of promoting goods.

From Old English Garingas (“people of Gara”), a short form of the various compound names with the first element gār (“spear, arrow, dart”).

From an Old English place name meaning "ford of a man called Wilburh."

From German and Swedish Greta, a contraction of Margareta.

Borrowed from Danish Birgitte and Norwegian Birgitte.

From "prance" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From play + room.

From Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר (éven ha`ézer), "stone of help," referring to a memorial stone set up by the prophet Samuel in the Bible.

From Middle English *faxed, from Old English feaxed, ġefeaxed (“haired; having hair”), from Old English feax (“hair”). More at fax.

From unbearable + -ly or un- + bearably.

A 20th-century invention, possibly based on Darius or Dorian.

From earlier Calchow, from Middle Welsh Calchvynyð (Modern Welsh Calchfynydd (“lime mountain”)).

The "sulk" sense comes from Irish dod ("sullenness, anger"); the "to clip" sense is a separate, older English dialect verb.

Borrowed from German Weinberg.

Borrowed from Italian Gabriele.