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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Directly from Latin spīritus, "breath, spirit" — the same root that gives English "spirit," "inspire," and "respiration."

A medieval variant of the name Aylmer, from Old English words meaning "noble" and "famous"; the ham-radio sense comes from the given name being used informally for a friendly mentor figure.

Variant of John with genitival or excrescent -s or a variant of Jones.

Named after the Oaks estate near Epsom, England, where the race was first run in the 18th century.

From match plus maker.

From miserable + -ly.

From Persian نوید (navid, novid, literally “good news”).

Related to an old word for "horror" or "terror," and closely tied to the more commonly used adjective "grisly," meaning horrifying or gruesome.

From duck + the affectionate suffix -y.

From needle + work.

From Old English full ("full") + fyllan ("to fill"); the noun form of fulfill.

Traced to Old English gafol, originally meaning tribute or payment, later shifting to describe the small mallet used to mark formal proceedings.

From the verb incense, "to enrage," ultimately from Latin incendō, "to set on fire."

Formed from in- (\"not\") plus disposed.

From hover + -ing.

From Sanskrit amrta, "immortal" — from a- ("not") plus mrta ("dead").

Borrowed via Spanish from Tausug, ultimately from a word meaning "current" (of water) — also the source of the name of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines.

From Inq(uisitor) + -y, as a term of endearment.

From Old French garite, "watchtower," related to the same Germanic root as "garrison" and "garage."

Named after Don Quixote, the idealistic knight-errant hero of Miguel de Cervantes's 17th-century novel.

Likely from Old English words for "peak" and "homestead" — probably named for the nearby River Peck.

From Spanish Sevilla, mainly via Cebuano and Tagalog. Doublet of Seville.

From water + ford. In the case of the city in Ireland, this is a modification through folk etymology of Old Norse Veðrafjǫrðr (literally “wether ford”). The civil parish in New Brunswick may have been named after Waterford, Ireland.

A clipped, affectionate form of longer names like Mildred or Millicent, with the diminutive ending "-ie" added.