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 German Nürnberg, from Medieval Latin Norinberga; the second part comes from Berg, "mountain" or "hill".

From Ancient Greek Pēnelópē, possibly related to a Greek word for "duck."

A folk-etymology respelling of the older word crevis (compare crayfish), reshaped in English because it sounded like "fish."

From the surname of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791); the German surname itself is first recorded in the 14th century.

From Old English hwītan, dative of hwīt (“white”) + īeġ (“island”), "white island".

Proto-Germanic · 1811

From Proto-Germanic *Hrōþirīks, revived in English after Walter Scott used it in an 1811 poem, as a translation of Spanish Rodrigo.

Medieval Latin · 1748

From Medieval Latin Clarissa, related to Latin clarus, "clear, bright" — also a well-known given name, popularised by Samuel Richardson's 1748 novel Clarissa.

Built from "jay," an old term for a foolish or naive person, plus "walking" — the idea being that only a fool would cross carelessly.

From French souffle ("a breath, a blowing"), from souffler ("to blow").

From bassett, basset, from French basset.

From "side" plus "-ing".

From French Erié, adapted from an Erie-language word said to mean "long tail," referring to the cougar.

Specific application of highlands, equivalent to high + lands.

Borrowed from Spanish Sancho.

From "black" plus "wood," describing the timber's dark colour.

From navigation + -al.

From tease plus "-ing."

From "bed" plus "spread."

An imitative word mimicking the sound of underwater bubbling, related to "glug."

A compound of "pillow" and "case."

From French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, named after Mosul, the Iraqi city where the fabric was originally associated with trade.

From medieval Latin conestabularia, going back to comes stabuli, literally "keeper of the stables" — the same root that gives us "constable."

Shortened from German Kirschwasser, literally "cherry water"; a distant doublet of the English words cherry and cerise, all tracing back to the same root for the fruit.

A topographic surname for someone who lived near a brook.