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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Named for the volunteers from Marseille who sang it marching into Paris in 1792.

From council + man.

From council + woman.

From "borrow" + "-ing."

From Old English clemman, "to press or squeeze" — the sense narrowed over time to the pinched, hungry feeling of starvation.

From Latin instillare, "to pour in drop by drop" — from in- ("in") + stilla ("a drop").

A compound formed from the phrasal verb start up, describing something newly set in motion.

Said to derive from Ralph Gardener's High School, a school in North Shields, England once known for its rough reputation, plus the diminutive "-ie".

From Middle English "smertly," formed from "smart" plus the adverb ending "-ly."

From Medieval Latin allocatio, built on the same root as "allocate."

Altered from "counsellor" to match the spelling of "council," since the two words were often confused.

From Old English readnes, built from red plus the suffix -ness.

From "malicious" plus the adverb ending "-ly."

From puff plus -y.

From Latin inhumanus, "not human" — in- ("not") plus humanus.

Formed from sym- ("together") + -biote ("living thing"), matching the pattern of symbiosis.

From wilt + the adjective-forming ending -ed.

unsophisticated

From un- + sophisticated.

From French Pauline, from Latin Paulīna, ultimately from Paulus ("small").

From Old French molestacion, ultimately from Latin molestus, "troublesome."

From Anglo-Norman seurté, ultimately from Latin securitas ("security") — a doublet of the word "security" itself.

From fresh plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Formed from screen plus the noun/verb ending -ing.

From short + -ness.