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 scheme + -er.

Old English · 1500

From Old English gesundlice ("safely, in good health"), from the same root as sound (healthy, intact). The word originally meant "safely" and shifted to its modern "thoroughly" sense around the 1500s.

From Middle English skolemayster, a compound of school and master.

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

A minced oath — a softened, less blasphemous-sounding stand-in for "God," similar to "cor" or "gosh."

A clipped form of "vagina" (for the anatomical sense) and of "vagrant/vagrancy" (for the arrest sense) — two unrelated words shortened to the same slang term.

From Latin Balticus, referring to peoples living near the Baltic Sea; the exact root of the name is debated.

Borrowed from the Dieri language word for "sign, mark, or messenger."

From forties, due to the dpth of the area.

A feminine form of Nicholas that came into common use in the 20th century.

A compound of "look" and "alike."

From "lazy" plus "bones."

From Old English hellefyr, literally "hell" + "fire."

20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky.

Feminine form of Darius, of Old Persian origin. Name of an early Christian saint.

From the Spanish given name Diego, itself from Latin Didacus.

A shortened form of Gwendolen or Guinevere; doublet of Wendy.

From the Ancient Greek name Phyllis, tied to a myth in which the grieving Phyllis becomes an almond tree.

Borrowed from German Koch (“cook”), an occupational surname. Doublet of Cook and Kok.

From Latin guttur ("throat"), via Middle French guttural.

From gentleman plus the adjective-forming suffix -ly.

From Old English forstiġ, "covered in frost" — built from frost plus the adjective ending -y.

A compound of "farm" and "yard."

A straightforward compound of "farm" and "house."