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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Formed from trend plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

From Russian казан (kazán), itself from a Turkic word for cooking pot; the city takes its name from the same root.

From careful + -ly.

The past participle of "need" used as an adjective.

The past-participle form of distinguish, used as an adjective from the sense of "having been marked out" for merit.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

From Middle English walkynge, the -ing form of walk, which goes back to an Old English verb meaning "to roll" or "to travel about".

From find plus -ing, the noun-forming suffix.

From lead (the verb, "to guide") plus -ing; the typography sense comes from the old practice of inserting thin strips of lead between lines of metal type.

From "lie" plus the suffix "-ing" — note that English has two unrelated verbs "to lie" (rest horizontally) and "to lie" (tell an untruth), both of which form "lying".

From talk plus the suffix -ing.

From pass plus the suffix -ing.

By surface analysis, include + -ing.

Borrowed from Sanskrit संजय (saṃjaya).

From Greek Apophis, adapted from an Egyptian name and later reshaped to resemble ophis, Greek for "snake."

Modeled on the German word Privatisierung, and popularized in English by economist Sidney Merlin in the 1940s when discussing post-war German economic policy.

From Italian paroli, "doubled stake," via French — unrelated in origin to "parley," despite the similar sound.

From red plus wood, referring to the tree's reddish bark and timber.

From Anglo-Norman popler and Old French poplier, ultimately from Latin populus ("poplar tree") — no relation to the unrelated Latin populus meaning "people".

Probably an alteration of "triumph" — early card games used "triumph" for the winning suit, and it wore down over time to "trump."

Reshaped from an earlier form "mangrowe" under the influence of the unrelated word "grove." The original word likely came from Spanish mangle, borrowed from a Caribbean language.

From Middle English hinderaunce, from hinder + -ance.

The name derives from the anglicised form of the Welsh Saint Ailbe (also called Saint Elvis); its modern fame comes almost entirely from singer Elvis Presley.