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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A compound of wolf and man.

From sales + girl.

From inter- ("between") plus personal.

From Russian тайга́ (tajgá), itself borrowed from a South Siberian Turkic or Yakut word for dense, hard-to-cross forest.

Borrowed from French correctif, built from "correct" plus the suffix "-ive".

From Old English sutheasterne, from south + eastern.

From "flat" + the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

From Latin prōcūrātor, from prōcūrō, "to manage on behalf of another" — a doublet of proctor and procurer.

From fidget plus the adjective ending -y.

From Old French forfaiture, related to forfeit.

From Middle English unansuered, built from un- + answered.

From devotion plus the adjective suffix -al.

A straightforward compound of "barn" and "yard."

Formed from "im-" (a form of "in-," meaning "not") plus "balance."

From Middle English manered; equivalent to manner + -ed.

From the vegetable "carrot," whose orange color was likened to red hair.

From re- ("again") plus sale.

Formed from "repress" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ion," ultimately from Latin reprimere ("to press back").

From neck + line.

From un- + caring.

From consign plus -ment.

A compound of team and mate.

A compound of head and piece, originally referring to any object covering or protecting the head.

A compound of moon and beam.