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 down ("soft fine feathers") + -y.

From Ottoman Turkish rakı, ultimately from Arabic ʕaraq ("sweat, distilled liquor") — a distant relative of the word "arrack".

From "aimless" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

From acrobat plus the noun-forming suffix -ics, on the pattern of words like "gymnastics."

From regional South Asian names for the millet crop, also lending its name to the unrelated tree species.

Originally slang for "penis" in the 16th century, later softened into a general insult for a foolish person.

Formed from co- ("together") + worker.

Borrowed directly from Italian frittata, from fritto ("fried").

From Sanskrit प्रिया (priyā, "beloved").

Named after Charles Macintosh, who patented the rubberized waterproof fabric in 1823; an extra "k" was added to the spelling later.

From Latin Augustinus, a derivative of Augustus ("majestic"); a doublet of the name Austin.

From Latin Ambrosius, from Ancient Greek ambrosios, "immortal, divine".

From Ancient Greek agathós, meaning "good."

Simply "low" plus "life" — someone living on the low, disreputable end of society.

Named after Piccadilly Hall, once owned by a tailor famous for making piccadills, a type of stiff lace collar.

From new + port.

Built from cool plus the suffix -ant, which typically marks a substance that performs an action (compare "lubricant," "deodorant").

Likely from Yiddish foy, itself from German pfui, blended with the English interjection "phoo."

From optimize plus the noun ending -ation, ultimately from Latin optimus, "best."

The "finished" sense comes from Hawaiian pau via Hawaiian Pidgin English.

From French inadmissible, formed from in- plus admissible.

From artist + -ry.

From German psychopathisch, built from Greek psykhē ("soul") + pathos ("suffering").

From cousin + -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum, regular plurals of nouns, and the third-person singular indicative present tense forms of verbs). The plural noun noun 1 sense 1 (“American or British intelligence services”) was popularized in the works of the English author John le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell; 1930–2020).