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 Sanskrit गुण (guṇá), meaning "quality" or "attribute".

From Ancient Greek, "eye."

From nickel (the five-cent coin) plus odeon (a Greek word for a theatre or concert hall).

Borrowed from German Sturm.

Borrowed from the Japanese name for the plant.

From Latin mythicus or Ancient Greek mythikos, formed from myth + -ic.

From "Trev," a recurring character name in 1970s New Zealand television comedy, which gave rise to a general slang term for an unpretentious working-class bloke.

Short form of Eleanor or, rarely, of Honora.

Borrowed from Russian Ната́ша (Natáša), an informal pet form of Ната́лья (Natálʹja), cognate to Natalie.

Formed from planet plus the Latin ending -arium (a place for something), on the model of words like aquarium.

Formed from nine + -er, adopted in radio-telephony because "nine" can sound like other words over crackly audio.

From Cantonese 大班 (daai⁶ baan¹, "big shot, head of a firm"), related to the word tycoon.

From Old French presumption, from Latin praesumptio, related to praesumere ("to take beforehand").

From snatch + the agent suffix -er.

From Australian rhyming slang "apples and spice" (or "apples and rice"), meaning "nice."

From Old French enforcement, from enforce plus -ment.

Formed from scream plus the agent suffix -er.

From un- ("not") plus safe.

An imitative word, mimicking the sound a kayak makes landing flat on the water after clearing a drop; the sport usage grew out of whitewater kayaking circles in the US in the 1970s.

A term from the Pai Mārire religious movement in 19th-century New Zealand.

Borrowed directly from Samoan.

A reshaping of French acajou, itself from the Old Tupi word akaîu.

The now-standard spelling of chaperon, from French chaperon ("hood").

From "connect" + the agent suffix "-or," meaning "one that connects."