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 Old French depresser, from Latin deprimere, "to press down," from de- + premere, "to press."

From Italian sonata, "something played" (as opposed to a cantata, "something sung"), from sonare, "to sound" — ultimately from Latin sonare.

From Latin constructivus, from construere ("to build"). By surface analysis, construct + -ive.

Built from "prep" (short for preparatory school) plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y".

From Latin scholasticus, from Greek skholastikos, ultimately related to "school".

Formed from "Nazi" plus the suffix -ism.

From Middle English unreste, from un- plus rest — literally "a lack of rest."

From un- ("not") plus discovered, the past participle of discover.

From Middle English grene horn, originally referring to the fresh horn of a recently killed young animal — "green" here means young or fresh, not the colour.

From the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., site of the 1972 break-in that triggered the scandal ending in President Nixon's resignation; the hotel itself was named after a spot on the Potomac once used for concerts.

From cranium plus the adjective ending -al.

From stop plus light.

From "key" (as in the musical key a piece is built on) plus "note", extended figuratively to mean the central theme of any speech or event.

From Old French couvre-chief, literally "cover-head" — the same "chief" element meaning "head" survives in words like "chief" and "kerchief" itself.

Middle French · 1590

Attested since the 1590s, from Middle French desbander, from des- + bande ("band").

From 18th-century Scots "dink" meaning neat or trim, which drifted in meaning from "dainty" to "small" before gaining the "-y" ending.

From vulgar plus the noun suffix -ity.

From Middle English trusty, tristy, tresty, equivalent to trust + -y.

From truck + -ing.

From Old Occitan trobar, "to find" or "to compose" — a troubadour was literally someone who "found" or invented songs.

From Latin triumphālis, related to triumphus.

From Latin triplicātus, "tripled," from tri- ("three") + plicō ("to fold") — the same pattern as "duplicate."

Origin uncertain, though it may be linked to "Fritz", a nickname once used for German soldiers; the exact connection to the "malfunction" sense is debated.

From Latin tribunus, "tribal leader," from tribus, "tribe" — the Roman office later inspired the broader, figurative sense of someone who speaks for the common people.