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 English *pullynge, equivalent to pull + -ing.

* disease + -ed

From Middle English reveling; equivalent to reveal + -ing.

From Old English floterian, "to float about, flutter," related to the word "float."

From Pat (a nickname) plus -y; the pastry sense likely comes through French pâté, referring to a filled pastry.

From Old English smearcian, "to smile," related to smile. The word narrowed over time to mean a smug or mocking smile rather than a genuine one.

From Old English spurnan, meaning "to kick" or "strike against"; related to Latin spernere, "to scorn."

From neck + tie.

From Middle English reversall, formed from reverse plus the suffix -al.

From un- + founded, as in "founded on" solid evidence.

From Late Latin speculativus, from Latin speculor ("to observe, spy out").

From French banalité, built from banal plus the noun ending -ity.

From forceful + -ly.

Formed simply from "roar" + "-ing."

From Middle English wrongly, wrongliche, equivalent to wrong + -ly.

From casual plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce, stick”). Compare Middle High German kil (“large feather, quill”), which is derived from the Low German term.

Formed from the given name Edward plus the possessive "-s," the standard English pattern for turning a father's name into a family surname.

From Welsh ap + Roppert, meaning "son of Robert".

From prickle + -y.

From kiss + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From Ancient Greek traumatikos, from trauma, "wound."

Formed from trash plus the adjective ending -y.

From Middle English sompe, related to Dutch and Low German words for a marshy pit — a doublet of the word swamp.