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.

Browse etymology by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Recently added

From nice plus the noun-forming suffix -ness.

A compound of "hell" and "cat," originally used of a supposedly demonic or witch-like cat, later of a fiery-tempered person.

Simply ward + room — a room set aside for a "ward," an old term for a group of officers or guards.

From 1960s American slang, probably a blend of "wimp" and "pussy," or a shortening of the reduplicated "pussy-wussy."

From Middle English flynt ston, simply combining "flint" and "stone."

From Middle English writhyng; equivalent to writhe + -ing.

A compound of mole and hill; the verb sense comes from the idiom "make a mountain out of a molehill."

Named after the artist Arnold Machin, who designed the iconic portrait used on the stamps.

From Latin Turonum, named after the Turones, a Gaulish tribe that once inhabited the area.

From Portuguese vin d'alho, "wine and garlic sauce," carried to Goa by Portuguese settlers and reworked into a fiery Indian curry.

A spelling variant of Elise.

Borrowed from French Georges.

Compare French catholicisme.

From un- + occupied.

From French dosage, related to "dose."

From hopeless + -ness.

From counter- + measure.

Formed from "complicity," likely shaped by words like "explicit" that end in -icit.

Recorded since 1901, formed from reception plus -ist.

From "helm" (a ship's steering wheel) plus "man."

Italian · 1580

From Italian sultana, the feminine form of sultano, entering English in the 1580s.

From Middle English bidder, formed from "bid" plus the agent suffix "-er."

From Middle English misteriusly, equivalent to mysterious + -ly.

Borrowed from Italian impresario, from impresa ("undertaking, enterprise").