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 undeniable + -ly.

The kiss-sound sense comes from Japanese ちゅっ (chu), an onomatopoeia; the historical sense refers to the ancient Chinese state of Chu.

From black plus the comparative ending -er, tracing back through Old English blæc to a much older Germanic root for "burnt" or "scorched."

From blue + -er (“Oxford -er”). Used at Harrow School in London, United Kingdom.

Traced back through Turkish and Persian to a Sanskrit word for cooked rice, likely of Dravidian origin further back still.

Borrowed from Samoan ma'o, from ma'oma'o.

From "heart" (in the figurative sense of "core" or "center") + "land."

Borrowed from Spanish Gonzalo.

From Old English deathlic, built from death plus -lic (the ancestor of -ly).

From "decisive" + "-ly."

From defense + -less.

Borrowed from Spanish querida, "beloved," from querer, "to love, to want."

From un- + fulfilled.

From "booze" + "-y."

From blackmail plus the agent suffix -er.

From earlier "draughty," from draft/draught + -y.

From Old French traitros, related to traïtor ("traitor").

From "blood" plus "line," referring to a line of hereditary descent.

From Mandarin Qīng, rendered using the Hanyu Pinyin romanization system.

From un- + published.

From an Old French word meaning "to cross over," the same root as "traverse" — originally used for a gatekeeper or toll collector at a bridge crossing.

From the Mandarin word zhū.

The slang sense comes from rhyming slang: "Britney Spears" rhymes with "beers."

From Middle English unhurt, simply un- ("not") added to hurt.