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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The Gaza Empire was named by its founder, Soshangane, after his grandfather Gasa.

From Late Latin susceptibilis, from Latin susceptus, the past participle of suscipio, "to take up, undertake."

misunderstanding

From misunderstand plus the noun-forming suffix -ing.

Short form of Theodore, or of the rare given names Theobald, Theophilus or Theodoric, or of Theodora.

Derived from Germanic compound names beginning with *amala-.

Derived from Latin silva (forest).

A variant of Amalia, from a Germanic root meaning "vigor" or "bravery." Over time the name blended in people's minds with the unrelated Latin name Aemilia, which gave English "Emily," and the French "Aimée," which gave English "Amy."

Feminine form of Silvius, from Latin silva (“forest”). In myths, Rhea Silvia was the mother of famous twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. 6th-century saint Silvia was the mother of the pope Gregory the Great.

From Old English *unfrēondlīċ, equivalent to un- + friendly.

The wine name comes from the French town of Mâcon; macon (mutton bacon) is a blend of "mutton" and "bacon."

From active plus the suffix -ism.

A shortened form of "diddly-squat."

interchangeable

From interchange plus the suffix -able ("capable of").

From "modulate" plus the agent suffix "-or."

From buy + -ing.

From Latin mēnstruālis, from mēnsis ("month") — the same root as "menstruation" and, more distantly, "moon."

Likely a shortening of the earlier slang term ning-nong.

From the Colosseum, the giant amphitheatre in ancient Rome, whose name came from Greek kolossos, meaning "giant statue".

From Latin retaliare, "to repay in kind," related to talio, the legal principle of "an eye for an eye."

A casual shortening of "comfortable," first common in the early 1800s.

From love + making.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

From French alignement, from aligner ("to align").

Originally a pit built for staging cockfights; the sense later extended to any small enclosed control area, including a ship's or aircraft's command space.