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 Old English sceamfull, built from shame plus the suffix -ful, literally "full of shame."

Borrowed from Spanish pinto, "painted" or "mottled."

From Latin perpetuare, "to make continue without interruption," from perpetuus ("perpetual").

Formed from numb plus the suffix -ness, which turns an adjective into a noun describing its state.

From Old French "mareschal," originally meaning "one who tends horses."

From Medieval Latin inhospitabilis, simply "not hospitable" — in- ("not") plus hospitable.

From Azerbaijani piti, related to a similar word in Armenian for a clay cooking pot.

Borrowed from Māori taro.

From Old English idellice, built on idle + -ly.

From retard + -ed.

From Greek apnoia, "absence of breathing," from a- ("without") plus pnein ("to breathe").

From formal + -ly.

From refine plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

From Middle English covertli, equivalent to covert + -ly.

From "secret" plus the adverb suffix "-ly."

From Greek kardiakos, "of the heart," from kardia, "heart."

The "-ing" form of "raise", from Middle English reysynge.

From impend plus -ing.

Back slang for "look" — the sounds of the word are reversed, a trick common in old London street slang.

Origin uncertain, possibly linked to "bonk" as a blow to the head.

From a dialect word pot, meaning a pit or hollow, plus hole.

Formed from un- + familiar, going back through Old English un- to a Proto-Germanic negating prefix.

From unhappy + -ness.

From uncomfortable + -ly.