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

Formed from "loyal" plus the agent suffix "-ist."

From Old French receptour or Latin receptorius, from recipio ("to receive").

18th century. Perhaps borrowed from Mandingo cano, or from a language of the East Indies.

From guest + house, with roots in both Old English and Old Norse compound words for the same idea.

A blend of "child" and "molester".

Named after Saint Veronica, whose legend gave rise to both the given name and the bullfighting term (from the image on her cloth).

From Amharic ras, literally "head" — the same word used for the body part, extended to mean a headland of land or a "head" of state.

Built from "swat" (as in the SWAT police unit) plus the "-ing" ending.

An imitative word, invented to sound like the noise it describes.

From Scots muir, meaning "moor."

From informal plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Borrowed from German Wolfram, thought to come from Wolf ("wolf") plus Rahm ("cream, scum") — describing the mineral's tendency to interfere with tin smelting, as if it "devoured" the tin like a wolf.

Borrowed from Hindi hīṅg.

Formed from naive plus the suffix -ity; parallels the French naïveté.

From Latin pellis ("animal skin, hide"), the same root behind "pelt."

From dry + wall — so named because, unlike wet plaster, it goes up without needing to dry on-site.

Formed from auto- ("self") plus motive ("causing movement"), from Latin motivus.

A loan-translation of French appétissant, matching French -ant to English -ing.

anesthesiologist

Built from anesthesiology + -ist ("one who practices").

From French Céleste, from Latin caelestis ("heavenly").

Borrowed from Hindi-Urdu dakait, from a word meaning "gang robbery."

From Old English wæterweġ, a compound of "water" and "way" — a path made of water.

From breathless + the adverb suffix -ly.

Built from muta- (relating to mutation) and -gen ("producing"), ultimately from Greek roots meaning "birth" or "origin."