English words first recorded in the 15th century

It is inherited from Middle English eradicaten, borrowed from Latin ērādīcātus, the past participle of ērādīcō (“to root out, extirpate”), formed from ē- (“out”), a form of ex- before r, and rādīx…

It is inherited from Middle English eradicacioun, borrowed from Latin ērādīcātiō, which Merriam-Webster calls Late Latin. The Latin noun of action is formed from ērādīcō (“to root out, extirpate”)…

It is inherited from Middle English ereccioun, borrowed from Latin ērēctiō (“a setting up”), perhaps through Old French érection. In Late Latin ērēctiō could also mean pride or insolence. It is…

It is inherited from Middle English erupcioun, borrowed from Latin ēruptiō (“a breaking out”), perhaps also borrowed from Old French éruption; the OED compares the French word. The Latin noun is…

It is borrowed from Latin aestimatus, the past participle of aestimāre (“to value, appraise”), which is also the source of esteem.

It is inherited from Middle English evacuaten, borrowed from Latin ēvacuātus, the past participle of ēvacuō (“to empty out”), formed from ē- (“out”) (a form of ex-) and vacuus (“empty”), itself from…

It is inherited from Middle English evasioun, borrowed from Old French evasion and directly borrowed from Late Latin ēvāsiō (“a going out, escape”), a noun of action from ēvāsus, the past participle…

The verb is borrowed from Latin excerptus (“picked out”), the past participle of excerpō (“to pluck out, pick out, select”), formed from ex- (“out”) and carpō (“to pluck, gather”), with the vowel of…

The adjective is borrowed from Late Latin exemplāris (“serving as an example or pattern”), from exemplum (“example, pattern, model”), the source of example. Etymonline takes it through French…

It is inherited from Middle English explanen, borrowed from Latin explānō (“to make plain or clear, explain; literally, to make level, flatten”), from ex- (“out”) and plānus (“flat, level”), from…

It is inherited from Middle English expressioun, from Old French expression or directly from Latin expressiō (“a pressing out; in Late Latin, vividness, expression”), a noun of action from…

It is formed from Latin externus (“outside, outward”) and the suffix -al, partly also from Middle French externe. Latin externus is from exter, exterus “outward”, the source of exterior. It won out…

It is borrowed from Latin exstīnctus, also extīnctus, the past participle of exstinguō (“to put out, quench; to die out; to destroy”), the source of extinguish. That verb is formed from ex- (“out”)…

It is inherited from Middle English extracten, borrowed from Latin extractus, the past participle of extrahō, to draw out, from ex-, out, and trahō, to draw (see tract).

It is probably borrowed through fabuleux and directly from Latin fābulōsus (“celebrated in fable”), from fābula, a story, fable, from for, to speak.

It is inherited from Middle English fidelite, borrowed from Middle French fidélité, which Etymonline and the MED take as Old French, or directly borrowed from Latin fidēlitās (“faithfulness…

It is formed from English field + -er, partly from the noun and partly from the verb. Etymonline takes the first sense from the noun. The OED notes the surnames Richard le Feldere (1310) and Galfr…

It is inherited from Middle English furth, originally a Scots word, borrowed from Old Norse fjǫrðr (“inlet, estuary”), the source also of fjord, through Norwegian. Barnhart compares the Old…

It is borrowed from Middle French fluide or directly borrowed from Latin fluidus (“flowing, moist”), from fluere (“to flow”) (see fluent).

It is inherited from Middle English foter, also footer, formed from English foot + -er, partly from the noun and partly from the verb; the Middle English Dictionary derives it from the verb foten…

It is inherited from Middle English fortifien, borrowed from Middle French fortifier, from Late Latin fortificō (“to strengthen, make strong”), formed from fortis (“strong”) and the combining form…

It is inherited from Middle English fracture, borrowed from Middle French fracture (Old French, of the 14th century, in Etymonline) or directly Latin frāctūra (“a breach, break, cleft”), from…

It is inherited from Middle English fragment, also fragmente, borrowed from Latin fragmentum (“a broken piece, remnant”), formed from frag-, the root of frangō (“to break”), with the suffix -mentum…

It is borrowed from Latin gamma, the Latin name of the third letter of the Greek alphabet, and its source Ancient Greek γάμμα (gámma). The Greek name comes from a Semitic form, with assimilation of…

It is inherited from Middle English gradual, borrowed from Medieval Latin graduālis (“having steps, by steps”), from Latin gradus (“a step, a degree”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghredh- (“to walk…

It is inherited from Middle English hereditarie, borrowed from Latin hērēditārius (“of or connected with inheritance, inherited”), from hērēditās (“heirship, inheritance”), from hērēs (“heir”). The…

It is formed from Latin historicus (“of history, historical”) and -al, from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “historical; of or for inquiry; exact”), from ἱστορία (historía, “inquiry, narrative…

It is formed from English house + keeper, in late Middle English howskepare or houskeper. Etymonline calls it a later equivalent of householder, which the OED compares.

The OED takes it as partly borrowed from Middle French humereux, also humoureux (“moist, humid; caused by humours”), partly its source Late Latin humorosus (“moist, wet; of the bodily humours”)…

It is borrowed from Latin illitterātus (“unlettered, unlearned”), also spelled illīterātus, from in- (“not”), assimilated before l, and litterātus (“furnished with letters, learned”), which is the…

It is borrowed from Latin illūminātus, the past participle of illūminō (“to light up, make light”), which is formed from in- (“in, upon”) and lūmen (“light”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-…

It is borrowed from Latin imāginārius (“consisting of a mere semblance, unreal, fictitious”), formed with the suffix -ārius (English -ary) on imāgō (“image”). In post-classical Latin the adjective…

It is borrowed from Latin immersus (“dipped, plunged in”), the past participle of immergō (“to plunge in, dip into”), which is formed from in- (“in”) and mergō (“to dip, plunge”). The participle had…

It is inherited from Middle English impellen, borrowed from Latin impellō (“to push against, drive forward, urge on”), from in- (“in, on, against”), assimilated before p, and pellō (“to push…

It is inherited from Middle English implicacioun, borrowed from Latin implicātiō (“an interweaving, entanglement”), a noun of action from implicātus, the past participle of implicō (“to involve…

It is inherited from Middle English importen, borrowed from Latin importāre (“to bring in, convey; in Medieval Latin to imply, mean”), from in-, into, and portāre (“to carry”) (see port), from PIE…

It is borrowed from Middle French inaccessible and its source borrowed from Late Latin inaccessibilis (“unapproachable”), a Vulgate word, formed from in- (“not”) and accessibilis (“approachable”)…

It is inherited from Middle English incarceracioun, borrowed from Old French incarceracion, and Medieval Latin incarcerātiō (“imprisonment”), a noun of action from incarcerō (“to imprison”), formed…

It is inherited from Middle English incepcion, borrowed from Latin inceptiō (“a beginning, an undertaking”), perhaps also through Old French inception. The Latin noun of action is formed from…

The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin incumbēns (“holder of a church benefice”), the present participle used as a noun of incumbō (“to lie or lean upon, apply oneself to”), which in medieval…

It is inherited from Middle English indicacion, borrowed from Latin indicātiō (“an indicating; valuation”), indicātiōnem, from indicō, to point out, show (see indicate), from in-, in, upon, and…

It is inherited from Middle English indyvyduall (“indivisible, single”), borrowed from Medieval Latin indīviduālis (“indivisible, individual”), perhaps through Middle French, from Latin indīviduus…

It is borrowed from Old French inequalité and directly Medieval Latin inaequālitās, from Latin inaequālis (“unequal, unlike, changeable”), from in- (“not”) and aequālis (“equal”) (see equal).

It is borrowed from Latin inexplicābilis (“that cannot be unfolded or disentangled; very intricate”), and partly borrowed from Middle French inexplicable, recorded from 1486, which the OED gives as…

It is inherited from Middle English infestacioun, borrowed from Old French infestacion, or directly borrowed from Late Latin infestātiō (“a troubling, disturbing, molesting”), a noun of action from…

It is inherited from Middle English infidelite, borrowed from Old French infidelité and directly borrowed from Latin infidēlitās (“unfaithfulness, faithlessness”), from infidēlis (“unfaithful…

It is inherited from Middle English inflammacioun, borrowed from Latin inflammātiō (“a kindling, a setting on fire”), perhaps partly through Old French inflammation, which Littré records from the…

It is inherited from Middle English inflaten, borrowed from Latin īnflātus (“blown into, puffed up”), the past participle of īnflō (“to blow into, puff up”), formed from in- (“in, into”) and flō…

It is inherited from Middle English inflecten, borrowed from Latin īnflectō (“to bend in, curve; to change, alter, modulate”), with the past participle inflexus, from in- (“in”) and flectō (“to…

It is inherited from Middle English inflexioun, also enfleccioun, borrowed from Latin inflexiō (“a bending, inflection, modification”), the noun of action from inflectō (“to bend in, curve”), whose…

It is inherited from Middle English ingenious, borrowed from Middle French ingénieux, whose Old French forms were ingenios and engeignos, and partly directly borrowed from Latin ingeniōsus (“of good…

It is borrowed from Latin ingrediēns (“entering”) (stem ingredient-), the present participle of ingredior (“to go in, enter”), formed from in- (“in”) and gradior (“to step, go”). The OED thinks the…

It is inherited from Middle English inhibiten, borrowed from Latin inhibitus, the past participle of inhibeō (“to hold in, hold back, restrain, hinder”), from in- (“in, on”) and habeō (“to have…

It is inherited from Middle English injunccion, borrowed from Late Latin iniūnctiō (“a command”), a noun of action from iniūnctus, the past participle of iniungō (“to impose, inflict; to attach…

It is inherited from Middle English instructen, also instructe, borrowed from Latin īnstrūctus, the past participle of īnstruō (“to build, set in order, equip, teach”). Barnhart thinks it was in…

It is inherited from Middle English insurrecioun, also insurreccion, borrowed from Middle French insurrection, and perhaps also directly from Late Latin īnsurrēctiō (“a rising up”). The word is…

It is a Middle English alteration of earlier interesse, borrowed from Anglo-Norman interesse, from Medieval Latin intersum (“compensation for loss; interest on money”), from Latin intersum (“to be…

It is late Middle English, from Medieval Latin intermediātus, lying between, from Latin intermedius, that which is between, or Late Latin intermedium, a place coming between, from inter-, between…

It is inherited from Middle English internalle, borrowed from Medieval Latin internālis, or Middle French internel, from Latin internus (“within, inward; domestic”), expanded from pre-Latin…

It is inherited from Middle English intestine, borrowed from Old French intestin or directly borrowed from Latin intestīnum (“a gut”), the noun use of the neuter of the adjective intestīnus…