This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they are explanations of what words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago. The Online Etymology Dictionary was created in 2001 by Douglas Harper, who continues it; the etymonline domain name dates from 2003. Talia Felix, an independent researcher, has been associate editor since 2021. Etymonline aims to

