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Etymology and origin of the English word website

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1992 (Merriam-Webster)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈweb.saɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of web, in the sense of the World Wide Web, and site.[2][3] It is also written web site and Web site.[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A location on the World Wide Web: 1994 in Etymonline,[2] or 1992 as Merriam-Webster's first known use.[5]

Semantic evolution

The word names a group of connected pages, usually under one address and kept by one person or organization.[3][4] Merriam-Webster gives websites and Web sites as plurals and notes web site as less common,[5] and Chambers and the American Heritage Dictionary record both the one-word and the two-word spelling.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1992 – first known use in Merriam-Webster.[5]
  • 1994 – first date in Etymonline.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A set of connected web pages on the World Wide Web, usually with a homepage and kept by one person or organization.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Website.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/website. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·