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 luflynes; equivalent to lovely + -ness.

From Middle French "tolerable," from Latin "tolerābilis."

From Old French deposicion, from Latin depositio, related to "deposit" and "depose" (whose meanings became historically intertwined).

From French gigolo, "a young man kept by an older woman," itself a back-formation from gigolette, a term for a dancing girl for hire.

The past participle of sow, from Old English sawan.

From Middle English boldnesse, from bold plus the noun-forming suffix -ness.

From Latin incumbēns ("reclining, resting upon"), the present participle of incumbere, from in- plus a root meaning "to lie down."

From Old English ēastweard, from east plus -ward ("in the direction of").

From Middle English hedlong, an old form reshaped by association with the word long, ultimately tied to head.

From Latin impossibilitas, from im- + possibility.

From Latin insolentia, related to insolens ("unaccustomed, arrogant").

From Middle English sobben, likely linked to old Germanic words for drooling or slobbering — the crying sense developed from the shaky, gasping breath.

From Ancient Greek takhus ("swift") and kardia ("heart"), built the same way as "bradycardia," its opposite.

From "de-" + "code," meaning "to undo a code."

From Old French divinité, from Latin divinitas, built on divine plus -ity — it replaced the native Old English word godcundnes.

From exact + the suffix -ing.

From lunch + time.

From sky + light.

From un- + predictable.

Originally a colloquial clipping of Brighthelmstone, from Old English meaning "Beorthelm's farm."

The place name comes from Old English brād ("broad") plus ford, describing a wide river crossing.

From Bourne ("name of a local stream") plus mouth.

An expressive, imitative interjection, possibly related to Scots pish ("piss").

From Latin columbus, "dove," the family name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who gave his name to several places and figures of speech.