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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The -ing form of "tie," tracing back to an Old English word meaning "to connect."

From Late Latin ligatura, from ligare, "to tie or bind" — the same root as ligament and lien.

A compound of life + span, describing the "span" or stretch of time a life or object lasts.

Formed from lobby + -ist, following the pattern of "activist" or "novelist".

From Old French lecheor ("glutton, sensualist"), from lecher meaning "to lick" — ultimately from the same ancient root as the English word "lick."

Formed from loath + the suffix -some ("tending to cause"), so literally "tending to cause hatred/disgust".

From Old English lahmann, ultimately from Old Norse lǫgmaðr — "law" plus "man."

From Old English linden, an adjective built from lind ("linden tree"); over time English speakers began using it directly as the tree's name.

From Italian inferno, "hell," from Latin infernus. The "huge fire" meaning developed later, from the idea of hellfire.

From enlarge + -ment.

A compound of drum and stick, first describing the instrument accessory before being applied to the similarly shaped chicken leg.

From "lawless" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness."

Named after Thespis, an ancient Greek actor said to be the first to perform in a play.

From over- + confident.

Borrowed from Scots glint, from Middle English glenten, "to shine or flash," and reintroduced into wider literary English by the poet Robert Burns.

A compound of "head" and "gear."

From "mountain" plus the suffix "-ous," echoing French montagneux and, further back, Latin montem, "mountain."

The food sense comes from Hindi वड़ा (vaṛā). The slang "to look" sense comes from Polari, the historic British slang associated with theatre and gay subculture.

A shortening of "mitochondrial."

The word's exact origin is unclear — it may come from a Caribbean or Central American language, or from a Portuguese word of similarly uncertain origin.

From Latin eludere, "to trick or dodge" — built from ex- ("out") and ludere ("to play").

From "enrich" plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

From Old French enrichir, built from en- ("to make") plus riche ("rich").

From Irish Gael, tracing back through Old Irish and Old Welsh to a Celtic root meaning "savage" or "woodsman."