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 craftsman plus the suffix -ship, meaning "the quality or state of".

From endless plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From Medieval Latin precinctum, \"an enclosure or boundary,\" ultimately from Latin praecingere, \"to surround or gird\" — the same root that gives us \"cinch.\"

From German Thermit, from Greek thermos ("heat") plus a chemical-sounding suffix.

A straightforward compound of "bone" and "head" — implying a head that's solid bone all the way through.

From "sceptic" plus the suffix "-al".

From Anglo-Norman mortuarie, a gift traditionally owed to a parish priest when a parishioner died, itself from Latin mortuarius, "of the dead" — from morior, "to die."

From shrub + -ery.

From Latin "hibiscum," from Ancient Greek "ibískos" (marsh mallow), likely ultimately from a Gaulish word.

From Old French conforter (\"to strengthen, console\"), which also gave English \"comfort.\"

Borrowed from French Cannes, from Occitan Canas or Occitan Cànoas (alternative spelling of Canas).

From Old French Chieresburg, probably from Old Norse kjarr ("thicket") and borg ("fort").

From French Nantes.

From Classical Persian شَهْرَازَاد (šahrāzād), possibly from Middle Persian elements meaning "of noble lineage."

From Old English Ælfgār, combining "elf" and "spear."

From Sanskrit arjuna.

From Middle English thonderynge, þoundryng, equivalent to thunder + -ing.

From Old French Alberon, a partial loan translation of Middle High German Alberich, meaning "elf king."

From "compliment" (noun) + the suffix "-ary." A near-doublet of "complementary," which comes from a different root meaning "completing."

From Scottish Gaelic Alasdair, from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of men."

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic Alasdair, itself derived from Alexander.

From the Latin cognomen Albinus, itself from albus ("white"); in Germanic-speaking regions sometimes influenced by a separate name meaning "elf friend," which also gives rise to Alvin.

From Latin Albānus ("of Alba"), referring to the ancient city of Alba Longa in Latium.

Old English · 1903

Short for Harley-Davidson, the American motorcycle maker founded in 1903 by William S. Harley and the Davidson brothers; the surname itself traces to an Old English place name meaning roughly "hare wood" or "rock clearing."