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 over- + cooked.

From clinic + the adjective suffix -al.

From Dutch husselen, meaning "to shake up" — the sense of pushing and jostling came first, and the modern "work hard" meaning developed later in American English.

From Late Latin ēthicus, from Ancient Greek ēthikós, from êthos (\"character\").

From Middle English, built from "be-" plus an old verb "tide," meaning "to happen" — related to the noun "tide" in the sense of time or season.

From hand + cuff, likely a reinvention of an older Old English compound with a similar meaning, since the word disappears from records for centuries before resurfacing.

Learned borrowing from Latin mora, "delay."

From Latin praeposterus, literally "with the back part before" — combining prae- ("before") and posterus ("coming after"), describing something back-to-front or upside down.

Borrowed via German and Russian from a Tungusic language of Siberia; ultimately possibly related to a word meaning "to know", or to Buddhist terms for a monk.

From ideal + -ly.

Likely derived from "hunky", an earlier slang term for Central and Eastern European immigrant laborers, itself from "Hungarian".

From humanity plus the suffix -arian, meaning "one devoted to."

From Persian hindūstān, from Hindu + -stan ("land of").

From "blood" plus "shot," meaning suffused or streaked with blood.

From dis- + agreement, or from disagree + -ment.

Female: shortened from Stephanie, from French Stéphanie. Male: shortened from Stephan.

From the present participle of Old English feohtan, "to fight."

An altered form of the older word croustade, referring originally to a pie with a crust.

Borrowed from the Dakota people's own word dakhóta, meaning "friend" or "ally."

From disinterest ("to make impartial") plus -ed, or directly from dis- + interested.

From Old English lēah ("clearing in a forest"), the same root that gives many English place names ending in "-ley" or "-leigh."

From "blue" + "bird."

From unique + -ly.

From Latin proficiens, "advancing, making progress," plus the noun suffix "-ency."