Where does “drip-dry” come from?

drip-dry (English) comes from English dry, from Middle English drye, from Old English drȳġe, from Proto-West Germanic *drūgi, from Proto-Germanic drūgiz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.

drip-dry (English): Made of a fabric that does not wrinkle when hung dripping wet for drying

Definitions

  1. Made of a fabric that does not wrinkle when hung dripping wet for drying

Ancestry of “drip-dry”, step by step

drip-dry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English dry

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdryFree from or lacking moisture; Unable to produce...
2Middle EnglishdryeDry; lacking wetness, humidity, or water; Not...
3Old Englishdrȳġedry; dry; parched, withered
4Proto-West Germanic*drūgidry
5Proto-Germanicdrūgizhard, solid; dry
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰerǵʰ-to strengthen; to strengthen; become hard; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold

via English drip

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdripTo fall one drop at a time; To leak slowly; To...
2Middle Englishdrippe
3Old Frisiandriāpa
4Proto-GermanicdreupanąTo droop; drip
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰrebʰ-to become thick or cloudy, curdle, ferment; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer-