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 un- + affected.

From Latin sanctum, "that which is holy."

Inherited from Middle English soukynge. By surface analysis, soak + -ing. First attested in c. 1440 in the Promptorium parvulorum.

From guardian + -ship.

From worry + -ing.

From French indécision, from in- ("not") plus décision.

From the Battle of Waterloo (1815) in Belgium, where Napoleon Bonaparte suffered his final, crushing defeat — his once-unstoppable career ended in a single battle.

"Mountain" plus "top."

From Middle English feinting, equivalent to faint + -ing.

From Portuguese mangal, built from mangue ("mangrove") plus the place-forming suffix -al.

From Russian samovar, literally "self-boiler" — from samo ("self") plus varit ("to boil").

From French "mobiliser," built on the same root as "mobile."

From French mobilisation, built from "mobilize" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ation."

From French mobiliser, from the same root as "mobile."

From dead plus the suffix -er.

From Old French apaisement, related to "appease."

A shortened, informal pronunciation of "governor."

From justify plus the suffix -able, "capable of."

Formed from re- plus locate.

From "un-" + "loved."

Borrowed from French Dupont, meaning "of the bridge".

The chicken breed takes its name from the French given name Dominique, itself a doublet of Dominic.

From Latin Fēlīx (literally “happy, lucky”).

The Texas city was named after George M. Dallas, vice president under Polk; the family surname traces to a Scottish place name from Pictish, meaning roughly "meadow dwelling."