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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Diminutive of Elisabeth.

From Latin minimus, "smallest," plus the verb-forming suffix "-ize."

From super- + power.

A shortening of "magneto-electric machine", the original 19th-century name for the device.

A shortened form of wizard.

Shortened from Elizabeth.

By surface analysis, arm + strong. The rural municipality in Manitoba is named after politician James William Armstrong (1860 - 1928).

A compound of "heart" and "break," picturing grief as literally shattering the heart — a very old and universal metaphor across languages.

A straightforward combination of "word" and "play."

From Hebrew via Greek and Latin Michael ("who is like God?"), through Spanish and Portuguese. A doublet of Michael and Mikhail.

From Middle English seere, simply "one who sees" — see plus the agent ending -er.

From Ancient Greek Timotheos, meaning "honouring God", via Latin and Old French.

From French harmoniser, built on harmony plus the verb-forming suffix -ize.

From "pay" plus "day."

From Old English wudecocc, literally "wood" plus "cock" (bird), describing where it lives.

From Middle English tery, built from tear plus "-y."

From Middle French permanence, from Latin permanere ("to remain, to last").

Onomatopoeic — imitating a short puff of breath.

From Latin iuvenilis, "youthful," from iuvenis, "young person" — the same root behind junior.

From ideology + -ical.

The poetry sense comes from the Japanese word うた (uta), meaning "song" or "poem."

From Greek nektar, said to mean "drink of the gods" — from a root meaning "to overcome death."

From Greek nomadikos, built on nomad plus the adjective-forming suffix -ic.

From delusion + -al.