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 home + room.

From incubate plus the agent-forming suffix -or.

From bounce + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From "speed" plus "-o-" plus "-meter" ("measuring device").

From Old French fauconer, from faucon ("falcon").

From "fairy" plus "land."

From French inexpérience, from Late Latin inexperientia.

From canoe + -ing.

Formed from eerie plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

Borrowed from French figurine, from figure plus a diminutive ending.

From Medieval Latin preferentia plus the adjective-forming suffix -al.

A compound of "waist" and "band".

Anglicized from Russian Ла́ра (Lára), a Russian pet form of Larissa, known from the novel (1957) and film (1965) Dr Zhivago.

Borrowed directly from French entourage, from entourer, "to surround."

From Old French prejudicial and Medieval Latin praeiudicialis, ultimately from the same Latin root as prejudice.

Shortened from the phrase "like gangbusters," originally referring to police busting up crime gangs with dramatic force.

A compound of spread and sheet, from the older paper ledger sheets used for financial records.

From Late Latin evangelium ("gospel, good news"), itself from Greek euangelion — the same root that gives us "evangelist."

From Latin animātor. By surface analysis, animate + -or. Piecewise doublet of animateur.

From Italian pistacchio, from Latin pistacium, from Greek pistakion, ultimately of Iranian origin — related to Persian peste.

From an old sense of "off hand" meaning done immediately, without planning ahead — as if the answer came straight off the hand rather than being carefully worked out.

A clipped, casual form of "kleptomaniac."

Literally a compound of "cart" and "wheel" — the gymnastic move is named for its resemblance to a turning wagon wheel.

From Middle English richenesse, formed from rich plus the noun-forming suffix -ness.