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 Old English words for "shelf" and "hill" (or "valley"), originally describing a place name before becoming a surname and later a first name.

A variant of the name Austin, from Old French forms of "Augustine."

From an Old Welsh word for "wood" plus Old English hām, "home."

From Old English græs ("grass") and hām ("homestead").

Built from solid plus -ly.

Formed from fresh plus the verb-forming suffix -en, meaning "to make."

Origin uncertain, possibly from Middle English brine (“act of burning; fire”, noun), from Old English bryne (“act of burning; fire, flame; heat”), from Proto-Germanic *bruniz (“act of burning; fire”), from *brinnaną (“to be on fire, burn”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”).

From Middle English mortally, built from "mortal" plus the adverb ending "-ly".

From Middle English eloquently, eloquentely, equivalent to eloquent + -ly.

From Greek Theseus, possibly related to thesmos, the Greek word for "institution".

From Old French suir/sivre, "to follow, pursue," the same root that gives us "pursue" and "ensue" — originally just meant chasing after someone, legally or otherwise.

Named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov — the Finns coined the term mockingly during the 1939-40 Winter War.

From "cork" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y."

From support + -ive.

Formed from erratic plus the adverb-forming suffix -ally.

Formed from re- plus load.

A variant spelling of "bollocks", a much older British slang word for testicles.

Borrowed from Italian panini, the plural of panino ("little bread roll").

A compound of tail and pipe.

From Late Latin commissarius, from committere ("to entrust") — a doublet of "commissar."

Borrowed from Portuguese pimento, related to Spanish pimiento, ultimately from a Latin word meaning "colouring" — a doublet of "pigment."

From indenture + -ed; an indenture was originally a contract cut with a zigzag ("indented") edge so the two copies could later be matched to prove authenticity.

From match plus stick.

Borrowed from Dutch Maarten.