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 amcabily, equivalent to amicable + -ly. Piecewise doublet of amiably.

Borrowed from Japanese 綱 (tsuna), meaning "rope."

From disaster + -ous, echoing French desastreux and ultimately Italian disastroso.

From distrust plus -ful, "full of distrust."

Formed by adding the negative prefix dis- to trust.

From "pay" plus the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being paid."

From "recognise" plus the suffix "-able."

From "recognize" plus "-able."

From Middle French impertinence, from impertinent.

From French solidifier, built from solid plus -ify.

From Latin infirmus, "weak, feeble."

Built from shift + -y, originally describing someone resourceful with "shifts" (tricks or schemes), which shifted toward meaning dishonest.

From Old English heardnes, built from hard + the suffix -ness.

From Latin familiaritas, built from familiaris ("familiar") — see familiar.

Formed from "farm" plus the "-ing" suffix that turns a verb into an activity or occupation.

From firm plus the suffix -ness.

From expend + the adjective ending -able.

From Latin extinctio, "extinguishing, annihilation", from extinguere.

From Old English prūtlīċe, built from proud plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From "north" plus "-ward," a suffix meaning "in the direction of."

From Old English upweardes, the same root as upward, with an added adverbial -s.

Borrowed from French butte, meaning "mound" or "knoll."

From French liane, possibly influenced by lien ("link, bond").

From black and list, black carrying its old sense of "disgraced" or "banned".