Where does “clothesline” come from?
Clothesline combines English clothe and English line, with clothe deriving from Middle English clothen, which traces through Proto-Indo-European gley- meaning to stick or adhere.
clothesline (English): A rope or cord tied up outdoors to hang clothes...
Definitions
- A rope or cord tied up outdoors to hang clothes...
Ancestry of “clothesline”, step by step
clothesline traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English clothes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clothes | Items of clothing; apparel; plural of cloth; The... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloþes | Alternative form of clothes |
| 3 | Middle English | cloþ | Alternative form of cloth; cloth, garment |
| 4 | Old English | clāþ | cloth, clothes, covering, sail |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |
via English line
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | line | A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight |
| 2 | Middle English | line | rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,... |
| 3 | Old English | līne | line, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | line, chord, rope, string |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |