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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Variant of Soame.

Formed from the name Elizabeth plus the suffix -an, which turns a name into an adjective meaning "of or belonging to."

A compound of steam + roller, from the original steam-powered road-flattening machines.

From Latin soror ("sister"), the female counterpart of "fraternity."

From Hindustani tandūrī, describing food cooked in a tandūr (clay oven), itself from Persian.

From Ancient Greek mēninx ("membrane") plus the medical suffix -itis ("inflammation").

Borrowed directly from Spanish pendejo.

From pot plus luck — originally referring to whatever food happened to be in the cooking pot for unexpected guests.

From French idéaliste, ultimately from Latin idea, "idea" — someone chasing the ideal rather than the real.

From Arabic مُصْطَفَى (muṣṭafā, "the chosen one").

From Old English wudumann, literally "wood" plus "man."

A straightforward compound of "star" + "burst," describing something that bursts outward in a star-like pattern.

From un- ("not") plus due.

From lumber plus jack, a term that originated in Canada.

From Old English hāliġnes, built from "holy" plus the suffix "-ness."

From "connect" + the adjective-forming suffix "-ed."

From increase plus the participial suffix -ing.

From Middle English askinge, askande, from Old English āsciende, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōndī, present participle of Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn (“to ask”), equivalent to ask + -ing.

From Old English sceawung, "a looking at or examination," from the same root as show.

From play + -ing.

From whisper plus -er; the sense of a calming expert became popular after the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer.

From Middle English woodewerk, "carpentry" — a compound of "wood" and "work."

From the use of "moon" as slang for the buttocks, a usage traced back to the 1700s and popularised by American student slang in the 1960s.

From Middle English notschelle, from Old English hnutu ("nut") plus sciell ("shell").