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 "rational" plus the suffix "-ity," ultimately from Latin ratio, "reason."

From Old English crump ("crooked, bent") plus wella ("spring").

From a Scottish diminutive of Alison/Alice and Elspeth/Elizabeth.

Borrowed from French cellulite, formed from cellule ("small cell") plus the medical-sounding suffix "-ite"; first used in the 1960s.

From Old French replenir, "to fill completely," itself built from re- ("again") plus plein, from Latin plenus ("full") — the same root that gives us "plenty" and "complete."

Formed from rent plus the adjective-forming suffix -al.

From thatch + -er — literally "one who thatches."

From Latin prospectus ("a view, outlook"), from prospicio ("to look forward"), from pro- ("forward") + specio ("to look"). A doublet of "prospectus."

From Latin Iuno, of uncertain deeper origin, possibly linked to words meaning "vital force" or "youthful."

Transliteration of Hindi हेमंत (hemant).

Scottish Gaelic

A Scots dialect word, ultimately from Scottish Gaelic, whose deeper roots are uncertain.

From French égoïste, built on Latin ego ("I") plus the agent suffix -iste.

From nervous + the noun-forming suffix -ness.

From night + hawk, describing a bird active at night that resembles a hawk in flight though it is unrelated to true hawks.

Formed from distribute plus the agent suffix -or, meaning "one who distributes."

From Old English freomann, a straightforward compound of "free" and "man."

A back-formation from "extradition" — the verb was created afterward from the existing noun.

From idealist + -ic.

From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).

From French côtelette, "little rib," from Old French coste ("rib"), from Latin costa. English spelling was later reshaped under the influence of the unrelated word "cut."

From un- + harmed.

A shortening of "synthesizer."

From Latin interrogator, "one who questions," built from interrogate plus the agent suffix -or.

From interview plus the agent suffix -er.