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 Middle English tredynge, tredyng; equivalent to tread + -ing.

From Middle English lappinge, wlappynge, equivalent to lap + -ing.

From Middle English scrapinge, equivalent to scrape + -ing.

From prune plus the -ing ending.

From relieve + -ing.

From Fred plus the diminutive suffix -y.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

From un- + punished.

From Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).

Disputed. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Totinges.

Borrowed from French Estelle, from Occitan estela (“star”), from Latin stēlla. Doublet of étoile, estoile, stella, and stelo. Name of a third century martyr.

indistinguishable

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

From Irish Diarmaid. Doublet of Jeremy.

From conjoin + -ed.

From Old French boucherie, related to butcher.

A simple compound of "flower" and "pot," first used for containers made specifically to hold potted plants.

Origin uncertain — possibly imitative in origin, like the related bumble and fumble, or from an Old Norse root meaning "to strike."

From un- ("not") plus educated, the past participle of educate.

The past-tense/adjective form of "dye."

From Middle French inexcusable, from Latin inexcusabilis.

The plural of "fate".

From brilliant plus the adverb suffix -ly.

From net + the noun-forming suffix -ing.

From un- ("not") plus satisfied.