Word Origins

Some of our English words have very unique and surprising origins. Find out where some of your favorite words came from.

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147 results

Learn About

  • Education
  • Language Stories
  • Pop Culture
  • Trending Words

Featured Topics

  • Commonly Confused
  • Idioms
  • Word Origins

Why Do We Say “Trick or Treat”?

Dr. Seuss’s Most Magical Made-Up Words

Literature

Famous Names That Inspired Common Words

Word Origins

Where Does The Name “Saturday” Come From?

Word Origins

Where Did The Expression “Hair Of The Dog” Come From?

Food & Drink

Where Does “Sunday” Get Its Name From?

Word Origins

American Presidents Helped These Words Join Our Everyday Vocabulary

History

Where Does The Word “Dracula” Come From?

Literature

What Is The Origin Of The Name “Monday”?

Word Origins

Why Do We Say “Hello” and “Hi”?

History

The Origin Of The Phrase “Thirty Days Hath September”

Education

The Holy Reason We Say “Goodbye” And What To Say...

Word Origins

“Ketchup” And Other Words From Mandarin And Cantonese

Word Origins
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Featured

Where Does The Name "Saturday" Come From?

Got the fever to know more about how Saturday got its name? This article has everything you need to know about the merriest day of the week.

Discover the origin here.

Discover The Origins Of These Cooking Tool Names

Don't let scrumptious food pass you by—learn the names and origins of these frequently used cooking tools and dishes.

Savor these word origins now!

English Words That Came From Hindi And Urdu

If you're reading this in your pajamas, you have the Hindi and Urdu languages to thank for that word, and for many more than you realize.

Drink up these words!