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

drawstring traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English string

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

via English draw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdraw"To move or develop something."; "To exert or...
2Fijiandrauleaf; hundred
3Proto-Oceanicrau—
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesiandahunleaf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European strengʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic strangiz →