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 Medieval Latin suppositorium, from Latin suppono ("to put under").

From Middle English spotty, built from spot plus the adjective-forming suffix "-y".

From Latin "precarius," meaning "obtained by begging" or "depending on another's favor," from "prex" ("prayer" or "request") — the idea being that something granted at another's whim could be taken away just as easily.

From Old English nēdiġ, from "need" + -y.

From Old English nēodful, from need + -ful.

From Middle English endowement, from endow plus -ment.

From Late Latin philanthropia, itself from Greek philanthropia, literally "love of humankind."

From Italian lotto; a doublet of the word "lot."

From Anglo-Norman enamailler, ultimately from Old French esmail ("enamel"), traced back to a Frankish word related to "melt" or "smelt."

From Latin "strangulatio" ("choking"), from "strangulare" ("to choke"); related to "strangle."

From Old French "estrangler," ultimately from Ancient Greek "strangaloomai" ("to be strangled"), related to "strangale" ("a halter").

From "miff" (a fit of annoyance) + "-ed".

From fancy + the agent suffix -er.

From ego- ("self") + -maniac ("obsessed with").

From pleasant + -ly.

Probably from a Low German word related to "gloomy," describing a dark, sullen mood.

Named after the author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch; the term was coined by Richard von Krafft-Ebing and later popularized through Freud's writing.

From "rock" plus the "-ing" suffix.

Shortened from Latin Chrīstiāna ("Christian woman"); doublet of Kirsten.

From legal plus the adverb suffix -ly.

From Latin calvāria, "skull" — the traditional site was known as the "place of the skull."

From New Latin academia, tracing back to the Academy, the grove near Athens where Plato taught his students.

From Latin dilatare, "to spread out," from dis- plus latus, "wide."

From nibble plus the plural -s ending.