Etymology

Etymology Links

Word Spy

Collection of recently coined words, existing words that have enjoyed a recent renaissance, and older words that are now being used in new ways.

The Phrase Finder

The meanings and origins of thousands of English phrases and sayings. Also contains a discussion forum to ask a panel questions on the meaning and origin of phrases.

Oxford English Dictionary

Presents a word a day complete with pronunciation, spellings, etymology, quotations and date chart.

Take Our Word for It

Weekly etymology magazine.

The Word Detective

Words and language in a humorous vein. The online version of The Word Detective, a newspaper column answering readers' questions about words and language. Written by Evan Morris.

MooT

The game of grammar, semantics, and etymology. Play online the game that investigates the history and meaning of English words.

Fun With Word Origins

Samples of the etymological books from word-lover Martha Barnette, author of "Ladyfingers & Nun's Tummies" and "A Garden of Words."

Focusing on Words

An advanced Latin-Greek-English vocabulary source of etymologies with thematic units of roots, prefixes, and suffixes, and vocabulary quizzes.

What's The Meaning of This?

The origins of quirky English words and phrases like "In like Flynn" and "blackmail."

Origin of Phrases

Categorized etymologies of phrases.

Etymologically Speaking

A list of some curious word origins.

Nautical Expressions in the Vernacular

Myriad expressions in everyday English have nautical origins. This web page lists expressions and definitions mentioned by listswains, members of the Patrick O'Brian Mailing List, also known as the Gunroom.

New Words In English

Neologisms and novel uses of words in English collected by members of the class Linguistics/English 215, Words in English: Structure, History and Use, taught by Suzanne Kemmer at Rice University.

Etymology

Word origins and links.

New York State Facts

The origins of New York State's county names.

Taiwan Teacher

A new word or phrase posted every week giving you the meaning, origin and an example of the usage of the word or phrase.

Roots of English

An etymological dictionary you can download by Prof. Eugene Cotter, Seton Hall University.

Word Origins

This regularly updated page, provided by The Writer's Place, focuses on a word and its spelling, pronunciation, and derivation.

Pandora's Word Box

Relates medical terminology to the humanities, offering a weekly overview with references to classical etymology.

American Dialect Society

A scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America.

Etymologic

The brain-twisting etymology game.

Word and Phrase Origins

Directory. Part of the Internet Public Library. Describes books and web sites that might be helpful. Offers a hint on how to use an ordinary search engine when looking for etymology.

Words with Heathen Origins in the Scriptures

An etymological study of numerous words used in churches and Scriptures that have their origin in pagan religions.

Exploring English Words

Exploring English words that are derived from Latin and Greek sources with etymologies and vocabulary activities.

An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology

The influence of classical mythology on the English language, astronomy, calendar terms, personal names, phrases and conversation, and pop culture.

Altaic Etymology

Online database version of the Altaic Etymological Dictionary by S. Starostin, A. Dybo and O. Mudrak.

A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages

Online version of the indexes of R.L. Turner's 1962-1985 dictionary from the Digital Dictionaries of South Asia.

Word Sources

Includes a searchable database of Latin and Greek roots and affixes, a free newsletter, and links to other sites.

Businessballs.com - Etymology of Clich%uFFFDs, Expressions and Words Etymology

English language terms and expressions.

European Sayings & Idiomatic Expressions

Dedicated to gathering sayings and idioms and their translation/explanation from all over Europe. User contributions welcome.

Dave Wilton's Etymology Page

Devoted to etymology of common words and slang phrases.

Online Etymology Dictionary

History and evolution of more than 30,000 words, including slang and technical terms.

Sayings and Everyday Expressions

Your online source for the sayings and expressions you use everyday. Search for their meaning, history and origin, find sayings, expressions, phrases, quotations, cliches, unusual words, and wordplay.

World Wide Words

Michael Quinion writes about International English from a British viewpoint. Hundreds of pages on the history, origins, evolution and idiosyncrasies of English, with features on new words and words in the news.

Word Origins and Meanings of Economic Terms

Click on a word and go right to a brief discussion of its origin.

English Language Roots: The Meanings of Word Prefixes, Suffixes and Syllables

Reference chart for Greek, Latin, and other roots of the English language. Understanding such roots can help guessing the meaning of words and creating neologisms or brand names.

Word Quests for Word Seekers

Searchable dictionary of word origins, organized in cross-referenced thematic lists by Latin and/or Greek roots. English entries are also defined.

Richard Lederer's Verbivore

Linguistic fun from, Richard Lederer, the best-selling author of The Word Circus and the new Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay, a helpful guide for grappling with vexing grammar questions.

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