Where does “airtight” come from?

Airtight derives from English air combined with tight, where air comes from Middle English air, Anglo-Norman eir, and Latin aer, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁ro-.

airtight (English): Impermeable to air or other gases; Having no weak...

Definitions

  1. Impermeable to air or other gases; Having no weak...

Ancestry of “airtight”, step by step

airtight traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English aïr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishaïr—
2Middle Englishaireair
3Old Frenchairair mixture of gases that make up the earth's atmosphere
4Latināērair
5Ancient Greekἀήρmist; air; wind
6Ancient Greekauhḗr—

via English tight

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtightFirmly held together; compact; not loose or open;...
2Middle Englishtight—
3Old Englishþiht—

Words derived from “airtight”

Every word from Ancient Greek auhḗr →