The Amazing Histories of Words

Lists of English Words with Interesting Origins

A

aborigines, aboriginal: from Rome to modern usage;
abracadabra: from abrasadabra to
abracadabra;
abysmal, abyss, abyssal: from the
"bottomless earth" to the bottom of the oceans;
acrobat: from Greek akrobatos and
French acrobate to English acrobat ;
academe, academia, academy: Coming ASAP! ;
admiral: Coming ASAP! ;
aegis: Coming ASAP! ;
affiliate: Coming ASAP! ;
agony: Coming ASAP! ;
Alcatraz: Coming ASAP! ;
allure: Coming ASAP! ;
alphabet: Coming ASAP! ;
amazon: Coming ASAP! ;
ambrosia: Coming ASAP! ;
ambulance: Coming ASAP! ;
amen: Coming ASAP! ;
America: Coming ASAP! ;
assassin: Coming ASAP! ;
amnesty: Coming ASAP! ;
apothecary: Coming ASAP! ;
applaud: Coming ASAP! ;
astrology: Coming ASAP! ;
atlas: Coming ASAP! ;
augur: Coming ASAP! ;
aurora borealis: from Aurora, Roman goddess of dawn to aurora borealis;

B

babel, babble: Coming ASAP! ;
bacchanalian: Coming ASAP! ;
bankrupt: Coming ASAP! ;
barber: Coming ASAP! ;
bedlam: Coming ASAP! ;
berserk: Coming ASAP! ;
bible: Coming ASAP! ;
bonfire: Coming ASAP! ;
book: Coming ASAP! ;
boycott: Coming ASAP! ;

C

cabal: Coming ASAP! ;
cadet: Coming ASAP! ;
caesar: Coming ASAP! ;
cafeteria: Coming ASAP! ;
calisthenics: Coming ASAP! ;
canary: Coming ASAP! ;
candidate: Coming ASAP! ;
cannibal: Coming ASAP! ;
carnival: Coming ASAP! ;
colossal: Coming ASAP! ;
curfew: Coming ASAP! ;

D

decimate: Coming ASAP! ;
dismal: Coming ASAP! ;
dollar: Coming ASAP! ;
dunce: Coming ASAP! ;

E

echo: Coming ASAP! ;
egregious: Coming ASAP! ;
emeritus: Coming ASAP! ;
esoteric: Coming ASAP! ;
europe: Coming ASAP! ;

F

fiasco: Coming ASAP! ;
filibuster: Coming ASAP! ;
Frankenstein: Coming ASAP! ;

G

galaxy: Coming ASAP! ;
gazette: Coming ASAP! ;
gobbledegook: Coming ASAP! ;
googol: Coming ASAP! ;
gringo: Coming ASAP! ;
guillotine: Coming ASAP! ;
gung-ho: Coming ASAP! ;
gymnasium: Coming ASAP! ;
gypsy: Coming ASAP! ;

H

halcyon: Coming ASAP! ;
hocus pocus: Coming ASAP! ;
holiday: Coming ASAP! ;
honeymoon: Coming ASAP! ;
hoodlum: Coming ASAP! ;
hooker: Coming ASAP! ;
humble pie: Coming ASAP! ;
humors: Coming ASAP! ;
hygiene: Coming ASAP! ;
hysterics: Coming ASAP! ;

I

idiot: Coming ASAP! ;
impede: Coming ASAP! ;
infantry: Coming ASAP! ;
influence, influenza: Coming ASAP! ;

J

jazz: Coming ASAP! ;
jeep: Coming ASAP! ;
jinx: Coming ASAP! ;

K

kaleidoscope: Coming ASAP! ;
kibitzer: Coming ASAP! ;
kidnap: Coming ASAP! ;

L

lackadaisical: Coming ASAP! ;
lampoon: Coming ASAP! ;
lesbianism: Coming ASAP! ;
lethargy: Coming ASAP! ;
litter: Coming ASAP! ;
love: Coming ASAP! ;
lunacy: Coming ASAP! ;
lynch: Coming ASAP! ;

M

malapropism: Coming ASAP! ;
mammoth: Coming ASAP! ;
manure: Coming ASAP! ;
marathon: Coming ASAP! ;
masochism: Coming ASAP! ;
maudlin: Coming ASAP! ;
mausoleum: Coming ASAP! ;
maveric: Coming ASAP! ;
mesmerism: Coming ASAP! ;
mnemonic: Coming ASAP! ;
moron: Coming ASAP! ;
mugwump: Coming ASAP! ;
muse: Coming ASAP! ;

N

nausea: Coming ASAP! ;
nemesis: Coming ASAP! ;
nepotism: Coming ASAP! ;
news: Coming ASAP! ;
nocotine: Coming ASAP! ;
nightmare: Coming ASAP! ;
noon: Coming ASAP! ;
nymphomania: Coming ASAP! ;

O

odor: Coming ASAP! ;
oedipus complex: Coming ASAP! ;
omelet: Coming ASAP! ;
one: Coming ASAP! ;
ordeal: Coming ASAP! ;

P

pamphlet: Coming ASAP! ;
panacea: Coming ASAP! ;
pandemonium: Coming ASAP! ;
pander: Coming ASAP! ;
Pandora's box: Coming ASAP! ;
panic: Coming ASAP! ;
paradise: Coming ASAP! ;
parasol: Coming ASAP! ;
peculiar: Coming ASAP! ;
pedigree: Coming ASAP! ;
Peeping Tom: Coming ASAP! ;
philander, philanderer: Coming ASAP! ;
phoenix: Coming ASAP! ;
piano: Coming ASAP! ;
pleonasm: Coming ASAP! ;
procrastinate: Coming ASAP! ;
procrustean: Coming ASAP! ;
profane: Coming ASAP! ;
Pyrrhic victory: Coming ASAP! ;

Q

quixotic: Coming ASAP! ;
quiz: Coming ASAP! ;

R

redundancy: Coming ASAP! ;
republic: Coming ASAP! ;
right: Coming ASAP! ;
robot: Coming ASAP! ;

S

sadism: Coming ASAP! ;
salary: Coming ASAP! ;
sandwich: Coming ASAP! ;
sarcasm: Coming ASAP! ;
sincere: Coming ASAP! ;
siren: Coming ASAP! ;
somnambulist: Coming ASAP! ;
symposium: Coming ASAP! ;

T

taboo: Coming ASAP! ;
tantalize: Coming ASAP! ;
tattoo: Coming ASAP! ;
thug: Coming ASAP! ;
thunder: Coming ASAP! ;
tragedy: Coming ASAP! ;
trivial: Coming ASAP! ;

U

umbrella: Coming ASAP! ;
utopia: Coming ASAP! ;

V

vanilla: Coming ASAP! ;
ventriloquism: Coming ASAP! ;
vernacular: Coming ASAP! ;
virtue: Coming ASAP! ;
vocano: Coming ASAP! ;
volume: Coming ASAP! ;

W

welcome: Coming ASAP! ;
witch hazel: Coming ASAP! ;

X

x-ray: Coming ASAP! ;
xerophilous: Coming ASAP! ;

Y

yankee: Coming ASAP! ;

Z

zenith: Coming ASAP! ;
zodiac: Coming ASAP! ;
zoo: Coming ASAP! ;