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 sub- ("under, secondary") plus station.

A compound of switch (in the sense of a quick mechanical action) and blade.

From Medieval Latin senioritas, built on Latin senior, "elder."

Formed from scramble plus the agent suffix -er.

From "save" plus the agent-noun ending "-er."

Either from Irish Máire and Scottish Gaelic Màiri, or from Italian Maura. When borrowed from Irish, a doublet of Moira.

Borrowed from French collaborateur.

Formed from extinguish plus the agent ending -er.

Anglicized from Irish Bréanainn, ultimately from a Celtic root meaning "preeminent, outstanding."

From excavate + the agent suffix -or.

From Old English hors, going back through Germanic roots to a very old Indo-European word meaning "to run" — making "horse" a distant relative of "car" and "chariot."

From Middle English ele, borrowed from Anglo-Norman ele ("wing"), ultimately from Latin āla. The modern spelling and pronunciation were reshaped later under the influence of the unrelated word "isle."

Formed from "sand" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning something that sands.

From French, ultimately from Greek tēganon, "frying pan."

From Middle French éviction, from Late Latin ēvictiō, related to the verb "evict."

From Japanese 明治 (meiji), meaning roughly "enlightened rule."

From Old English līm ("glue, mortar"), related to Germanic words for "glue"; the citrus-fruit sense entered English separately via French and ultimately Arabic/Persian.

From "erotic" plus the suffix -ism.

From Biblical Hebrew חִירָם (Ḥirám, "high-born"), possibly from Phoenician, or a shortened form of a name meaning "brother of the exalted."

A trademarked name built from "oxycodone."

From spouse plus the adjective suffix "-al", ultimately tracing back through Old French to Latin.

From swamp + the adjective suffix "-y."

From the verb "scald," ultimately tracing back to Latin excaldāre, "to bathe in hot water," from ex- + caldus, "hot."

Borrowed from Latin memorābilia, literally "things worth remembering."