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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Borrowed from Spanish caramba, a polite substitute for a much ruder Spanish swear word.

From un- + opposed.

A less common spelling of Marcus, popular in German-speaking and Scandinavian countries.

From French Camille; a doublet of Camilla.

From Hebrew רִבְקָה (Riḇqāh), meaning roughly "captivating" or "ensnaring beauty."

From Mandarin 簫/箫 (xiāo).

Borrowed from Mandarin Chinese jiǎo.

The bed sense is from Chinese kang. The slang "to copy" sense is unrelated internet slang of disputed origin, popularised in gaming and modding communities.

The barber sense is borrowed from Hindi नाई (nāī). The instrument sense comes from Romanian, related to similar pan-flute names across the Balkans and the Middle East.

Borrowed from American Spanish, ultimately from a Kuna word.

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 炮 (pào), meaning "cannon."

From Hokkien and Teochew pronunciations of the Chinese character meaning "finished," influenced by the Mandarin reading.

Borrowed from Mandarin 阮 (ruǎn), itself short for 阮咸 (ruǎnxián), named after a musician associated with the instrument.

Borrowed from Mandarin 包 (bāo), meaning "bun" or "wrap."

From Chinese 刀 (dāo), literally "single-edged blade."

From Mandarin 塤/埙 (xūn).

From "frolic" plus "-ing".

From Punjabi bhaṅgṛā, related to bhaṅg ("hemp"), reflecting the folk dance's roots in harvest festivities.

A translation of French Barbe-Bleue, the title character of a 1697 fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a nobleman who murders his wives one after another.

From Old French enchanteresse, the feminine form of enchanteur ("enchanter").

From un- ("not") plus explainable, from explain plus -able.

Built from extra- ("outside") + marital ("relating to marriage").

Borrowed from Italian Chiara.

From Middle English torterous, ultimately traced to Latin tortura, "torture."