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 heorot ("hart, stag") + ford.

From "long" + "fellow" — literally a nickname for a tall man.

Named after Beaufort-sur-Doron, the French Alpine town where the cheese has traditionally been made.

From Old French beau champ, meaning "beautiful field".

From Old English "norþ" (north) plus "tūn" (enclosure or settlement), literally "north town."

From Old English Ōsweald, from ōs ("god") + weald ("power").

Originally a French nickname for a red-haired person, from roux ("redhead"). A doublet of the surname Russell.

From Old English stān ("stone") + tūn ("enclosure, settlement"), a common English place name later adopted as a surname.

* As an English surname, from the root of hide (“measure of land”). * Also as an English surname, spelling variant of Ide. * As a Jewish surname, Americanized from Haid.

From Fitz- + Gerald.

Originally a patronymic from Hardy or from Germanic compound names with the element *hard ("hard").

From Old English west (“west”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

From Middle English hoʒe ("steep ridge"), a variant of Old English hōh, with likely influence from Old Norse haugr ("hill").

English surname, equivalent to fair + fax (sense 1), "beautiful tresses."

From Old English stæð ("landing place") plus ford, describing a river crossing near a landing spot.

The name of the county is from Old Norse Suðrland, from suðr (“south”) + land (“land”), named from the point of view of Orkney and Shetland. In some cases, the surname may represent the equivalent formation in Old English.

From a Dutch farm name, either Rozenveld or Ruiseveld, from Middle Dutch elements meaning "rose field" or "rush field".

From Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, from áss ("god") + bjǫrn ("bear").

From Old English hām-tūn, roughly "home settlement" or "farm by the river bend," a very common English place-name element.

From Old English mann ("man") plus the River Roe in Northern Ireland, meaning "man from the River Roe."

From Dutch Everaert or Everardt (late 16th C.), from Middle Dutch Everarde. Doublet of Everard.

Borrowed from Italian Leonardo, equivalent to the English name Leonard, ultimately from Old High German roots meaning "lion" and "hard/brave."

From Latin Sebastiānus, the name of an early Christian saint, ultimately from Greek Sebastós, "venerable, august."

From Old English "bæcestre" ("female baker"), from "bake" plus the feminine suffix "-ster"; it later became a common surname.