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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unsubstantiated

From unsubstantiate + -ed.

From match plus book, dating to the 1890s when the folded-cardboard format was developed.

A humorous spelling of "problem" with an added -o, mimicking Spanish (the real Spanish word is actually "problema").

From over- ("excessive") + population.

A back-formation from "prissy" — English sometimes builds a shorter root word after the longer adjective already exists.

Traced back through French nid to Latin nidus, meaning "nest" — the same root that gives English "nest" and "nidus."

From Middle English outrageously, equivalent to outrageous + -ly.

A variant of Janice. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Janice, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

From detain + -ment.

From Middle English Juliana, from Latin Iūliāna.

From Grace plus the diminutive suffix -ie.

Borrowed from Italian Gianna and Greek Γιάννα (Giánna). Doublet of Jane.

From the Italian feminine form of Gabriel, ultimately from Hebrew.

A feminine form of Gabriel, from Hebrew via Latin.

Borrowed from Italian and Spanish Elena, a cognate of the English name Helen.

From dramatic + -s; see -ics.

From Middle English Felicia, from Latin Fēlīcia, from fēlīcia (literally “happy things”), the neuter plural of fēlīx, which often occurred in the phrase tempora fēlīcia (“happy times”).

Diminutives + -ie.

The French-derived feminine form of Ernest.

From Dora + -een.

A twentieth-century variant of Diana, sometimes also treated as a feminine form of Dean.

From David + -ina.

Originally from Bois-d'Arcy, Yvelines in Northern France. Related to archaic French ardre (“to burn, consume”).

From Latin spīra, "coil, twist," reflecting the twisted, shared-atom shape of these ring structures.