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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A compound of "saw" and "dust."

A compound of "saw" and "mill."

From Middle English sekenen, built from "sick" plus the verb-forming suffix "-en".

From shirt plus the suffix -less, "without."

A compound of tug + boat, describing a small vessel built to tug — that is, tow — much larger ones.

From French tourniquet, related to tourner ("to turn"), referring to how the band is twisted tight.

Borrowed from Ojibwe odoodem, meaning "his kinship group" or clan emblem.

Formed from total plus the noun suffix -ity.

Derived from the Greek-rooted name Eustace, meaning "fruitful" or "productive."

Origin disputed; commonly traced to "dibstones," counters used in a children's game.

From "topic" plus the adjective ending "-al".

From "air" plus "head," suggesting someone whose head is filled with air rather than sense.

Formed from karma plus the adjective-forming suffix -ic.

From Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Greek prólogos, built from pro- ("before") plus -logue ("speech").

From French desengager, built from dis- plus engage — the opposite of locking or committing to something.

Borrowed from Late Latin contradictorius, from Latin contradico; built from contradict plus -ory.

Formed from solo + the agent suffix -ist.

From Japanese 箏 (koto).

From Tom plus -son, meaning "son of Thomas"; a variant spelling of Thompson.

Formed from Tom plus -son, meaning "son of Thomas".

From Middle English tayled, formed from tail plus the suffix -ed.

From Old French "tolerance," from Latin "tolerantia" ("endurance"), from "tolerō" ("to endure").

An altered form of the word "taffy."

From the fictional radioactive mineral in Superman stories, which is the one substance able to weaken him — itself named after the real element krypton.