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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Traces back through Greek and Hebrew to a name meaning "God is gracious" — the same root that gives English "Jane" and "Joan."

From Danish Maren, itself from Latin Marina.

Borrowed in the late 19th century from Norwegian Marita. By folk etymology, explained as a Spanish diminutive of Maria, by analogy with Anita.

A noun formed from the phrasal verb "pay out."

From pass and key.

From parole + -ee, the suffix used for someone on the receiving end of an action.

From uniform + -ed.

Borrowed from French Karine.

A diminutive of Yekaterina/Kateryna, the Russian and Ukrainian forms of Catherine.

From Middle English pipin, borrowed from Old French pepin ("a seed") — the same root as "pip".

Unknown. Possibly related to doylem (“a stupid person; an idiot”).

From Hindi "pradesh," itself from Sanskrit "pradesha," meaning "region" or "province."

The interjection is an old variant spelling of "ho." The ethnic-group sense comes from Vietnamese Hoa, itself borrowed from Chinese 華 (huá), meaning "Chinese."

From French Masse or French Massé. See also Mace.

A simplified American spelling of Marlborough, the London street where the tobacco company's factory once stood.

A compound of hand and crafted, emphasizing manual skill in the making.

From down + turn — a "turning downward" of a trend.

From Old English ing, "a meadow," related to Old Norse eng, still found in northern English place names.

A shortened form of "Ku Klux Klan."

A blend of "pant" and "suit."

From house + man.

A straightforward compound of drum and beat.

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic Mungo, the nickname of Saint Mungo (Kentigern), founder and patron saint of Glasgow.

From Anglo-Norman French "fils," meaning "son."