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 Middle Dutch excijs, reshaped under the influence of Latin excisus ("cut out"), though the tax sense actually traces back to Old French acceis ("assessment").

Coined from Latin fractus ("broken"), the past participle of frangere ("to break").

From protector plus the suffix -ate, which forms nouns denoting rank or system of rule.

Named after the Danish veterinarian Bernhard Bang, who identified the bacterium responsible in the 1890s.

Formed from the phrasal verb bail out.

Formed from "road" plus the informal suffix "-ie," originally describing the crew who travel the road with a band.

A straightforward compound of "buck" (deer) and "shot" — shot sized for hunting deer.

From Middle English oftentymes, built from "often" plus "time" plus the adverbial "-s" ending.

From seam + -less.

A straightforward blend of "screen" (the cinema screen) and "play" (a dramatic script), coined once movies needed their own term distinct from stage plays.

From tele- and prompter; originally a trademarked name, TelePrompTer, that became a generic term for the device.

From the Lakota word thipi, combining thi ("to dwell") with a plural ending, together meaning roughly "they dwell" or simply "house".

From toast plus the adjective suffix -y.

From Old French tanesie, ultimately from Medieval Latin tanacetum, a word of uncertain origin possibly linked to the Greek for "immortality" — a nod to the plant's long-lasting flowers.

Onomatopoeic, imitating the sound itself.

A variant of "curd," originally meaning a coagulated or thickened substance.

American in origin, from copy plus cat, an old derogatory term for a person.

Built from the name Athens plus the adjective ending "-ian," following the same pattern as words like "Parisian" or "Venetian."

From Latin suburbanus, from sub- ("under") plus urbs ("city") plus the adjective suffix -anus.

Built from sum plus the noun suffix -ation.

From French frégate, itself from Italian fregata, of uncertain further origin.

Formed from yuck plus -y.

From French "sécrétion," from Latin "sēcrētiō," first recorded in English around 1646.

From Latin Capricornus, literally "goat-horned," from caper ("goat") and cornu ("horn").