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 French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.

Shortened from names containing the Germanic element "bert/berht," meaning "bright."

From idol + -ize.

From Middle English Warwyk, from Old English Wǣringwīċ (literally “dwelling by the weir”), from wer (“weir”) + -ing (“of the”, used with masculine nouns) + wīċ (“dwelling place, village”).

From French julienne, likely named after an otherwise unknown chef called Jules or Julien who first served vegetables cut this way in a soup.

Borrowed from French Julien.

From style plus the agent suffix -ist.

From French bouillabaisse, from Occitan words meaning roughly "to boil" and "to lower (the heat)" — describing how the stew is cooked.

A straightforward compound of "assembly" and "man".

Borrowed from Italian "toma."

From Italian ricotta, literally "recooked," because the cheese is made by cooking the leftover whey a second time.

Named after Gorgonzola, the town near Milan, Italy, where the cheese was first made.

From advise plus the ending -able.

From Old French chamberlenc, ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "chamber" plus a suffix denoting an associated role.

From Biblical Hebrew Bo'az.

From show + girl.

From Italian Orlando ("Roland"), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *Hrōþiland; a doublet of Roland.

From cat + walk, describing a walkway narrow enough that only a cat could tread it comfortably.

From "trip" (a hallucinogenic drug experience) + the adjective-forming suffix "-y."

From Anglo-Norman escheker, "chessboard," from Medieval Latin scaccarium — so named because medieval treasurers counted money on a chequered cloth resembling a chessboard.

Formed from stain plus the suffix -less, meaning "without."

From Latin pultes, "porridge" — the same root as the word "pulse" (as in edible legumes).

From un- ("not") plus settled.

From Latin custodia, "a keeping, guard," from custos, "a keeper or guard."