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 Latin lenis, "soft, gentle" — the same root behind "lenient."

A compound of power + house, originally referring literally to a building that generates electricity.

Related to "dote" (in its "senile" sense); compare "totty," meaning unsteady or dizzy.

From Greek erōs ("love, desire") plus -genous ("producing").

From imperial + -ist.

A shortening of independent, with the informal -ie ending, first used of music in the 1980s and later applied to film and games.

From Old English linnan ("to cease, desist"), a word that has mostly fallen out of everyday use.

From French mignon ("darling, dainty"), ultimately from a Frankish word for love or affection. A doublet of "minion".

From Latin mucosus, based on mucus.

From night + life.

A straightforward compound of note + pad.

From over- + crowded.

From over- + grown.

From Catalan paella, meaning "pan," ultimately from Latin patella ("small pan or plate").

From Latin prae- ("before") plus "requisite" ("required") — literally, "required beforehand."

From a Scots word meaning "to touch lightly, graze, or hit," possibly linked to an Old Norse word meaning "to shove."

A shortened form of stroboscope.

Formed from "besot" ("to make foolish") plus the "-ed" ending.

Borrowed from Latin relaxatio, itself formed from relax plus the noun-forming suffix -ation.

A diminutive of George plus -ie; the regional sense grew from its long use as a common name in the Tyneside area.

Likely an alteration of "funk," possibly blended with "flinch."

From Middle English notoryously, equivalent to notorious + -ly.

The marijuana sense probably comes from the resin-rich bottom ("end") portion of the plant; the bike-trick sense is likely short for "end over end."

From Arabic barbariyy ("Berber"), which traces back to the Ancient Greek word for "foreigner" — the same root that gives us "barbarian."