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 Latin ianitor, "doorkeeper," from ianua ("door") — the original janitors literally guarded entrances rather than cleaned them.

A shortened, affectionate form of Amanda.

Formed from tri- ("three") plus the -athlon of decathlon and pentathlon, itself from Greek athlon, "contest."

A clipped form of combination.

From perform + -ing.

Borrowed from German Maar, ultimately traced back to Latin mare, "sea" — the same root behind "marine" and "mere".

From recurrent plus -ence, ultimately from Latin recurrere ("to run back, return").

From "pathology" plus "-ist," someone who practises it.

From stubborn + the noun-forming suffix -ness.

From the verb hearten.

Borrowed from French morale, ultimately from the same Latin root as "moral," but developing its own separate meaning in French.

From Middle English rumblen, of imitative (sound-mimicking) origin, related to Dutch and German words for a similar low noise.

From Middle French imposteur, ultimately from Latin impositor, "one who imposes" — related to the verb impose.

From fake plus the agent suffix -er.

From Middle French disparité, from Latin dispar, "unequal" — from dis- ("not") + par ("equal"), the same root found in "parity" and "par".

From Latin derelictio, "abandonment," from derelinquere, "to abandon."

A shortening of "confidence man" — someone who wins a victim's confidence in order to swindle them.

From Latin clemens, "merciful, mild," the same root behind "clemency."

Derived from "canvas" (the cloth) — originally meaning to toss someone in a canvas sheet, which extended over time to mean thoroughly testing or examining, and eventually came to mean seeking political support.

From Greek apokalyptikos, "revelatory," related to apocalypse.

Formed from "outgo" plus "-ing."

From "shy" plus the suffix "-ness."

From Latin stupiditas, built from stupidus ("stupid") plus the noun-forming suffix -itas.

From "Bedlam," a nickname for Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, once a notorious psychiatric hospital — the word came to mean any scene of madness and chaos.