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 process + the agent suffix -or, recorded in this sense since around 1909.

From Hebrew beth lechem, literally "house of bread," passed into English via Greek and Latin. The word "bedlam" is a doublet, coming from the same source through the nickname of London's infamous Bethlehem psychiatric hospital.

From un- + charted.

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic càrn, ultimately from a Celtic root meaning "horn" — the same distant root behind the English word "horn."

A shortened form of "reconnaissance."

From "gate" plus "keeper."

Borrowed from French reconnaissance, "recognition" — a doublet of "recognizance," both descending from the same Latin root.

Coined in the twentieth century, apparently as a blend of the names "Kenneth" and "Sandra."

Borrowed from Japanese 奈良(なら) (Nara).

From Middle English charmer, built from charm plus the agent suffix -er.

From Old French merveillus, from merveille ("a wonder") — the same root as "marvel."

Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel, built on "minister" plus "-ial."

From Latin sūctiō, related to sūgō, "to suck." The word has been used in English since the early 1600s.

A variant American spelling of Beverley, ultimately from Old English words meaning "beaver clearing."

Variant of Page, from page, from Old French page, possibly via Old Italian paggio, from Late Latin pagius (“servant”), probably from Ancient Greek παιδίον (paidíon, “boy, lad”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”); some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead Latin pagus (“countryside”), in sense of "boy from the rural regions".

From French Justine, from Latin Iūstīna, name of early saints, feminine of Iūstīnus, derivative of Iūstus, from iūstus (“just”). The feminine equivalent of Justin.

From the Old English name Winfriþ, itself adapted from the Welsh name Gwenfrewi.

From Middle English Gwenyver; a doublet of "Jennifer."

Modern variant of Jenny.

A 19th-century feminine coinage from Charles, following the same pattern as Marlene and Helene.

A 20th-century coinage from darling and names like Charlene and Marlene.

A variant of Judy, itself a diminutive of Judith; the military "unfaithful partner" sense grew out of this name being used generically.

Borrowed from Latin resono, "to resound again".

From needle + point.