Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clothed” come from?

Clothed comes from Middle English -ed, Old English -od, Proto-Germanic klaiþą, and Proto-Indo-European gel-, ultimately deriving from a root meaning to stick or adhere.

clothed (English): simple past tense and past participle of clothe;...

Definitions

  1. simple past tense and past participle of clothe;...

Ancestry of “clothed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclothA woven fabric such as used in dressing,...
2Middle EnglishcloþAlternative form of cloth; cloth, garment
3Old Englishclāþcloth, clothes, covering, sail
4Proto-Germanicklaiþącloth
5Proto-Indo-Europeangleyt-to cling to, cleave, stick
6Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
7Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze

Words derived from “clothed”

  • plainclothed
  • overclothed
  • clothedness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →