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 un- + attain + -able.

From adulter ("to commit adultery") + -er.

A clipped form of "boondocks," which was popularized by US troops in the Vietnam War to describe remote rural areas, ultimately from a Tagalog word for "mountain."

From Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, ultimately tied to Greek Mouseion, "shrine of the Muses" — the same root that gives us "museum".

From Middle English, simply "water" plus "man" — a man whose trade was on the water.

Named using the initials of the German chemists who developed it in the 1930s.

Borrowed from Middle French "bouger" ("to move"), ultimately from Latin "bullire," meaning "to boil" or "bubble" — the same root that gives us "boil."

A compound of "star" + "dust," first used literally for cosmic particles and later borrowed figuratively for a magical, dazzling quality.

From Old English niþera ("lower, under"), related to the modern word "under."

Borrowed directly from French bijou, meaning "jewel."

The surname reflects several origins; see Roth.

Formed from "normal" plus the suffix "-cy." Though originally used in mathematics, it became widely popular in the US after President Warren G. Harding used it in a famous 1920 speech about "a return to normalcy."

From conserve plus -atory, following the pattern of Latin-derived English words describing a place for preserving or cultivating something.

Borrowed from Spanish chía, itself from the Nahuatl word chiyan, meaning "seed of the chia plant."

From French escouade, from Italian squadra ("square"), the same root that gives us "square" and "squadron."

A deverbal noun formed from the phrase "cross over."

From PowerPoint, the trademarked name of Microsoft's presentation software, which has become a generic term for any slideshow.

From an Old English word meaning "bag" or "skin" — related to "belly," since early bellows were essentially inflatable leather bags.

From levitate + -ion, echoing the pattern of "gravitation."

A blend of "hatch" (the rear door) and "back" (the rear of the car).

From Middle English glasy, formed from glass plus the adjective suffix -y.

From tail plus gate, originally referring to the hinged panel at the rear of a truck or wagon.

From Ancient Greek Kassándra, the name of the mythical Trojan prophetess.

Formed from shit plus the agent suffix -er.