Online Etymology Dictionary

I WANT TO KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.

While it’s easy enough to track down the definition of a word, tracing the origins of the English language is somewhat of a tricky task. The Online Etymology Dictionary is an excellent compendium of all this knowledge, offering up a ridiculous wealth of knowledge on individual words. It will tell you, for instance, that ‘exuberance’ was first noted as being used in the English language in the 1630s and derives from the Late Latin ‘exuberantia’, meaning ‘superabundance’. You can search for specific words or get lost in the hundreds of pages of etymological information for each letter. On top of the primary functionality, the Dictionary features rather regular articles that take deep dives into some of the English language’s quirkiest words and origins. A recent article titled Acronymphomania covers “the latest appalling idiocy of the internet” where a rumour was being spread that the children’s game ‘tag’ was actually an acronym. Don’t worry, the article thoroughly disproves this theory and offers suggestions on “what you can do to help halt the intellectual vandalism of backronyms”.