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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Borrowed from Latin dissectiōnem, perhaps via Middle French dissection. By surface analysis, dissect + -ion.

A compound of "mid-" (middle) and "air," describing a position partway through flight.

From Greek lipos ("fat") plus suction.

From New Latin vaginalis, from vagina ("sheath; the vagina") plus the adjective-forming suffix "-alis."

* As an Italian, Slovak (Dáni), Romanian, and German surname, from diminutives of the given name Daniel. * As an Albanian surname, from Dan, a short form of the Islamic name Ramadan. * As an Indian surname, borrowed from Gujarati દાણી (dāṇī), from Sanskrit दानिन् (dānin, “giving, generous”).

A noun formed from the phrasal verb play off.

From pen + the suffix -manship (as in "craftsmanship"), meaning skill in a particular activity.

From prefer plus the adjective-forming suffix -able, likely influenced by the French preferable.

Borrowed directly from Spanish chorizo.

From illegal + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Named after Daniel Elmer Salmon, the American scientist who first identified the bacteria in the late 1800s.

From Greek peri- ("around") plus cardial ("relating to the heart").

From Dutch anker, a doublet of the English word "anchor."

Formed from wholehearted plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

From "father" plus "land", echoing similar compounds in German (Vaterland) and Dutch (vaderland).

From mother + land, echoing the ancient pattern of personifying a homeland as a parent (compare fatherland).

From job + the suffix -less ("without").

A shortening of "android," popularized worldwide by the Star Wars films.

From Old English *stormiġ, from storm plus the adjective suffix -y.

From murder plus the adjective-forming suffix -ous.

Blend of triangle + below + canal (“Canal Street, New York”).

From contain + the noun-forming suffix -ment.

From Old English cwacung, the noun form of "quake."

From Romance (Spanish Batista and Portuguese Batista).