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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A straightforward compound of collar and bone, since the bone runs roughly where a collar would sit.

From "mull" (to heat, grind, or work something over) plus the agent-noun ending "-er."

A shortened, casual form of "otter."

From Middle English wofully, from woeful plus -ly.

Origin unknown, but the word emerged in American slang in the 19th century; Robert Baden-Powell later picked it in 1919 to name the international Scout gathering.

From Middle English wantounly, wantounliche, equivalent to wanton + -ly.

Variant spelling of Kimberley.

From Greek Tōbías, from Hebrew toviyá, meaning roughly "my good is the Lord."

From mean plus the noun suffix -ness.

Old French · 1732

An altered 1732 spelling of "estallment," from Anglo-Norman estaler ("to fix payments"), from Old French estal ("fixed position").

From shove + -ing.

From care + -ing, the adjective form built from the verb.

Straight from Spanish capa ("cloak"), a relative of English "cape."

A slurred pronunciation of "that's the girl!"

From an earlier noun "bulldose," literally "a dose fit for a bull" — meaning a heavy, forceful blow — later reapplied to the machine.

From "chirp" plus the adjective suffix -y, comparing a cheerful mood to a bird's chirping.

From "hand" + "stand."

From hump + back.

From "kick" + "ball," describing exactly what the game involves.

From dangerous plus the adverb ending -ly.

From French ration, ultimately from the same Latin root as "ratio" and "reason."

From preferable plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Named after Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, whose portrait appears on the bill.

From in- ("not") + effective, itself from Latin efficere, "to accomplish."