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 simple compound of "dust" and "pan," describing its shape and function.

Built from "sand" plus "man"; the sleep-bringing character likely comes into English from the German Sandmann, popularised by an 1816 E.T.A. Hoffmann story.

Formed from "dupe" plus the agent suffix "-er."

Coined in 16th-century England for a device used to silently practice the motion of ringing a church bell — literally a "dumb" (silent) version of a bell-pull. The exercise weight later took the same name because of its similar shape and motion.

A shortened, informal form of "civilian clothes."

From plant plus the agent suffix -er.

From French circulatoire, from Latin circulatorius.

cinematographer

From cinematograph + the agent suffix -er.

The wine takes its name from the town of Quincy in France. The toilet sense is said to nod to President John Quincy Adams, reputedly the first to have one installed in the White House.

First recorded in 1859; possibly linked to the Mason-Dixon Line, or to a New Orleans ten-dollar note once nicknamed a "dixie" (from French dix, "ten").

Probably from a South American Tupian word, via French and Portuguese saki.

As a name, a shortened, informal form of David. The archaic verb sense comes from Middle English "deven," related to Old English "dēafian" ("to grow deaf") and Old Norse "deyfa" ("to numb, soothe"), the same root that gives us "deafen."

Initialism of Hedgehog; the gene and the signaling pathway are named after the protein.

From German Edelweiß, literally "noble white" — from edel ("noble") and weiß ("white").

"Mountain" plus "side" — literally the side of a mountain.

From "mob" plus the agent suffix "-ster," the same ending found in "gangster" and "trickster."

From massive plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From "pie" (an old English name for the magpie) plus a diminutive ending, later respelled as "piet."

From Middle English gnawynge, simply gnaw plus the -ing ending.

Built from over- + react.

Borrowed from Dutch Hee.

Named after Chihuahua, the Mexican state where the breed originated.

From Spanish Castilla, from Medieval Latin Castella, the plural of castellum ("castle, fort") — a nod to the many castles built there.

The "-ing" form of "carpet," referring either to the material itself or, informally, to a scolding.