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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Borrowed directly from the Turkish name for the game.

From "bed" plus "side."

From any + place.

First used in Spain, supposedly derived from Latin Thēra, from Ancient Greek Θήρᾱ (Thḗrā), name of a city in Santorini, Greece.

From "inherent" + "-ly."

From Old French complaignant, present participle of complaindre, "to complain."

From Old English roots meaning simply "heart" plus "ache" — a very old, literal way of describing emotional pain as if it were a physical pain in the chest.

From price + -less ("lacking, without").

From dig plus the agent suffix -er. The Australian/New Zealand soldier sense comes from the trench-digging soldiers did in World War I.

From over- + time.

From survive plus the ending -or, naming the person who does the surviving.

A casual shortening of legitimate, common in spoken and online English.

From re- ("again") plus fill.

From re- plus schedule.

From jeopardy + the verb-forming suffix -ize.

A variant of mama.

Built from "grand-" plus the informal word "dad."

From "pay" plus "check," reflecting the days when wages were commonly paid by paper cheque.

An imitative sound, similar to noises used to call animals, adapted for getting a person's attention quietly.

From Middle English stynkynge, stinkinge, stinkinde, stinkende, stynkande, stynkand, from Old English stincende, from Proto-Germanic *stinkwandz (“stinking”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną (“to stink”), equivalent to stink + -ing. Cognate with Dutch stinkend (“stinking, stinky”), German stinkend (“stinking, stinky”), Danish stinkende (“stinking, stinky”), Norwegian stinkende (“stinking, stinky”).

From class + room.

From congress + -man.

From back + yard, meaning the yard situated behind a house rather than in front.

From Thai วา (waa).