Etymology

» 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/

» Businessballs.com - Etymology of Clichés, Expressions and Words Etymology
   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

» European Sayings & Idiomatic Expressions
   Dedicated to gathering sayings and idioms and their translation/explanation from all over Europe. User contributions welcome.

   
   http://sayings.jacomac.de/

» 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/

» 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.

   
   http://www.io.com/gibbonsb/words.words.words.html

» 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.

   
   http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ling215/NewWords/index.html

» Online Etymology Dictionary
   History and evolution of more than 30,000 words, including slang and technical terms.

   
   http://www.etymonline.com/

» Origin of Phrases
   Categorized etymologies of phrases.

   
   http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/Phrases.htm

» Oxford English Dictionary
   Presents a word a day complete with pronunciation, spellings, etymology, quotations and date chart.

   
   http://oed.com/cgi/display/wotd

» 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

» 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.

   
   http://www.geocities.com/athens/delphi/1979/trivia.html

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

   
   http://www.thewritersplace.com/writestuff/origins.htm

» Word Origins and Meanings of Economic Terms
   Click on a word and go right to a brief discussion of its origin.

   
   http://www.louisville.edu/~bmhawo01/econpage/meanings.html

» 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/