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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Borrowed from French velours, meaning "velvet".

Formed from velvet plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From Late Latin vehicularis, built from "vehicle" plus the adjective suffix -ar.

From vicious plus the adverb suffix -ly.

A short form of Alexandra and, less often, of Cassandra.

From Latin Hadrianus, meaning "from Hadria," an Adriatic port town; a doublet of the name Adrian.

The French form of the Latin name Delphina, meaning "woman from Delphi".

From French Cécile, from Latin Caecilia.

Plural of "kick," slang usage that emerged in American English referring to footwear.

A clipped form of Augustus.

From Old Swedish Gøtstaf, from Old Norse Gautr ("Geat/Goth") + stafr ("staff").

From Middle English nombrynge, formed from number plus the suffix -ing.

Built from automatic plus -ion; the word is credited to Ford executive Delmar S. Harder, who coined it in the 1940s to describe self-operating factory machinery.

A clipped form of "affirmative."

A modern coinage, first appearing around 2013, drawing on the older word "fae" (fairy) for its neopronoun form.

From un- (\"not\") plus wavering (\"being indecisive\").

Named after the Roman Brutus, a name associated with the classical Roman look the hairstyle imitated.

Borrowed from German Heller, itself named after the city of Hall (Schwäbisch Hall), where the coin was minted.

From "aggressive" + the noun-forming suffix "-ness."

From "photon" plus the adjective suffix "-ic."

From mail (armor) + -ed.

From re- + unification.

From Old English on felde, literally "in the field," combined with the "a-" prefix meaning "on/in."

From Latin disciplina, "instruction, training," the same source as "discipline."