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 deawig, built from dew plus the adjective ending -y — the same pattern as sunny from sun or rainy from rain.

A Latinised form of the Mandarin honorific title Kong Fuzi ("Master Kong"), created by early European missionaries and scholars.

From Latin Cornēlia, name of a famous Roman matron, feminine form of the gens name Cornelius; in continental Europe, also a feminine form of the saint's name Cornelius.

From Old English Benesingtūn, the source of the Oxfordshire village name Benson.

A variant of the surname and given name Elliott.

From an Old English personal name plus lēah ("woodland clearing").

From Greek Antiokheia, named after Antiochus, the father of Seleucus I, the general who founded the Seleucid Empire following Alexander the Great's conquests.

From Old English þorn (“thorn”) + tūn (“settlement”).

An English habitational surname from a place in Yorkshire, of Old Norse origin, from þak (“thatch, roof”) + rá (“nook”), therefore referring to a "place with thatching".

From Old English bere ("barley") plus tūn ("enclosure"), literally meaning a barley farmstead.

From Old English marl (a type of clay-rich soil) plus burgh, "fortified town" — a place near marl deposits.

From Hebrew Rafael, literally "God heals" or "God has healed."

From Old French talebot, originally a nickname for bandits who blackened their faces to avoid recognition; later applied to the hound breed and adopted as a surname.

From Old High German liut ("people") + bald ("bold").

From Aramaic, meaning "son of encouragement" or "son of consolation".

From method + -ist — originally a mocking nickname for the methodical, disciplined religious practices of Wesley's followers.

From the Old French form of Latin Eustathius, from Ancient Greek Εὐστάθιος (Eustáthios, “ancient name, also of Christian Saint”), from Ancient Greek εὐσταθής (eustathḗs, “steadfast, stable”). Or from εὔστᾰχῠς (eústăkhŭs, “fruitful”, literally “abundant in grain”), from εὖ (eû) + στάχυς (stákhus). Doublet of Ostap.

From Old English Buccingahām, from a personal name Bucca plus -ing ("belonging to") and hām ("home").

Formed from bigot plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

Simply "push" plus the agent suffix "-er" — someone or something that does the pushing.

From boat plus man, originally naming the occupation.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

A compound of highway and man, describing a robber who worked the open road.

From Latin Plīnius, an Italic name of obscure origin.