Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “drawstring” come from?

Drawstring comes from English draw and string, with draw tracing back through Middle English drawen and Old English dragan to Proto-Germanic draganą and Proto-Indo-European dʰreǵ-, meaning to drag or pull.

drawstring (English): A string or cord, encased in a fabric tube, with...

Definitions

  1. A string or cord, encased in a fabric tube, with...

Ancestry of “drawstring”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstringA long, thin and flexible structure made from...
2Middle Englishstring—
3Old Englishstrengstring
4Proto-Germanicstrangizstring
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstrengʰ-to twist; rope, cord
6Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →