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 French Hubert, ultimately from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "mind" and "bright, famous."

From Latin Reginaldus, a Latinization of names deriving from Proto-Germanic *Raginawaldaz.

* English, Norman, and German surname, all corresponding to German Werner. Also see Warrener. * As an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Murnáin (“descendant of Murnán”); see Murnane.

Formed from the given name John plus "-ton," an old word for a settlement or town — literally "John's town."

A patronymic English surname derived from the Germanic given name Hamo, related to a root meaning "home."

Borrowed from French Raoul.

Borrowed from Romance (either Spanish Cristo, Portuguese Cristo or Italian Cristo).

Mid 18th century borrowing from French glandulaire, from glandule (“small gland”) + -aire (“-ar, -ary”, adjectival suffix), from Latin glandulae (“glands of the throat”); equivalent to glandule + -ar.

From Sanskrit रमेश (rameśa), an epithet of Vishnu meaning "husband of Rama".

From huff + -ing.

From playful + -ly.

From over- + zealous.

From artistic + -ally.

From Middle English triour, related to try plus the agent suffix -er.

From Latin imaginabilis, built on imago ("image"), by way of "imagine" plus the suffix "-able."

Borrowed from French Laurent.

A Germanic and Scandinavian spelling of "Jacob."

From German Wolfgang, itself from Old High German wolf ("wolf") plus gang ("path, course").

Coined in Chicago in the late 1920s to describe organized crime's grip on labor unions and businesses, from "racket" in the sense of a criminal scheme.

Formed by adding the adverb suffix "-ly" to "racial."

Borrowed from French corsage, originally referring to the bodice of a dress — from the same root as "corpse" and "corps," ultimately Latin corpus, "body".

From widen + the agent suffix -er.

From Old English sunbryne, a compound of sun and burn, found in similar forms across many Germanic languages.

From Middle English cauce, from Old French cauciee ("paved way"), ultimately from Latin calx ("limestone") — the same root gives French chaussée.