Where does “cheesecloth” come from?
Cheesecloth comes from English cloth and English cease, tracing back through Old English clāþ and Middle French cesser to Proto-Indo-European roots gley- and gel-, meaning to yield or stick together.
cheesecloth (English): A loosely woven cotton gauze, originally used to...
Definitions
- A loosely woven cotton gauze, originally used to...
Ancestry of “cheesecloth”, step by step
cheesecloth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cloth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cloth | A woven fabric such as used in dressing,... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloþ | Alternative form of cloth; cloth, garment |
| 3 | Old English | clāþ | cloth, clothes, covering, sail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |