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 French révérer, from Latin revereor, "to stand in awe of" — built from re- plus vereor, "to fear".

US college slang from the late 1970s, likely a blend of "wimp" and "puss," or shortened from "wussy."

From Old English cristnung, related to christen.

From Ecclesiastical Latin superintendens, itself modelled on Greek episkopos — the same root that eventually gives English "bishop".

From Latin confīdere, "to have full trust in" — from con- + fidere ("to trust"). A doublet of "faith" and "fidelity."

From Ancient Greek ēthikḗ, from êthos (\"character, moral nature\"), via Late Latin ethica.

Formed from spill plus the old past-tense ending "-t," common in British English alongside "spilled."

From the Lorelei, a rock cliff on the Rhine river in Germany said in legend to be haunted by a siren who lured sailors to their deaths.

From Latin Leo (the constellation and word for "lion") plus the suffix "-id," meaning "belonging to" — so, literally, "member of the Leo group."

From Latin lēgātus, "one sent as an envoy," from lēgō, "to send on a mission" or "to bequeath."

From Middle English somertime, a compound of summer and time.

Built from de- ("reverse of") plus activate.

From sub- ("below") plus conscious.

From Latin talis, meaning "such persons," used in legal Latin for jurors called to fill vacancies.

From the Russian surname Pávlov, itself derived from the given name Pável (Paul).

Believed to be a loan translation of a West African expression for harmful gossip, which entered English through the Gullah language of the American South.

From Old French terms for a viewing platform, ultimately from Vulgar Latin words describing a raised stage or stand.

Named after the Biblical Job, famous for the long, reproachful speeches of his friends.

From Middle English kissynge, cussinde, from Old English cyssende, from Proto-West Germanic *kussijandī, from Proto-Germanic *kussijandz, equivalent to kiss + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian küsjend, Dutch kussend, German Low German küssend, German küssend, Swedish kyssande, Icelandic kyssandi.

A back-formation from "hydroponics," itself built from Greek hydro- ("water") and ponos ("labour").

Borrowed from German Horst, meaning "heap" or "ridge."

From Medieval Latin assimilatio, from "assimilate" plus the noun suffix "-ion".

From Middle English fisshemonger, equivalent to fish plus monger ("dealer, trader").

A plain compound of "sand" and "storm".