All Sites

» 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.

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/soas/

» Altaic Etymology

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

http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=eygtnnl&root=config&basename=%5Cdata%5Calt%5Caltet

» American Dialect Society

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

http://www.americandialect.org/

» Clichés and Expressions Origins

English language terms and expressions.

http://www.businessballs.com/clichesorigins.htm

» Dave Wilton's Etymology Page

Devoted to etymology of common words and slang phrases.

http://www.wordorigins.org/

» 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.

http://www.prefixsuffix.com/

» Etymologic

The brain-twisting etymology game.

http://www.etymologic.com/

» Etymologically Speaking

A list of some curious word origins.

http://www.westegg.com/etymology/

» Etymology

Word origins and links.

http://members.tripod.com/~itsmagic/ETYMOLGY.HTML

» Exploring English Words

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

http://www.wordexplorations.info/

» Focusing on Words

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

http://www.wordfocus.com/

» MooT

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

http://www.mootgame.com/

» Online Etymology Dictionary

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

http://www.etymonline.com/

» Pandora's Word Box

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

http://pandorawordbox.com/

» 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.

http://www.verbivore.com/

» Roots of English

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

http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/roots.html

» 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.

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayindex.htm

» Take Our Word for It

Weekly etymology magazine.

http://www.takeourword.com/

» The Phrase Finder

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

http://www.phrases.org.uk/

» 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.

http://www.word-detective.com/

» What's The Meaning of This?

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

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genepool/meanings.htm

» 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.

http://www.wordquests.info/

» Word Sources

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

http://www.wordsources.info/

» 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.

http://www.wordspy.com/

» 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.

http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48468

» 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.

http://www.innvista.com/culture/religion/bible/compare/heathen.htm

» 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.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/

» languagehat.com

Erudite blog on word origins and definitions, with dozens of links to dictionaries, commentaries, linguistic reference sites, and personal favorites of the author.

http://www.languagehat.com/