Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hidebound” come from?

Hidebound comes from English hide and bound, where bound derives from Middle English hiden, French bondir, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰendʰ- meaning to bind or curve.

hidebound (English): Bound with the hide of an animal; Having the skin...

Definitions

  1. Bound with the hide of an animal; Having the skin...

Ancestry of “hidebound”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhideTo put in a place where it will be harder to...
2Middle Englishhidehide; concealment; hiding spot
3Middle Englishhidento conceal, hide; to cover up, wrap up, surround;...
4Old Englishhȳdanto hide, conceal, preserve; to conceal; hide
5Proto-Germanichūdijanąto hide, conceal
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kewdʰ-to cover, encase; to hide, conceal; to cover,...
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kew-to caw, to howl; to cover, hide; to cover, hide,...

Words derived from “hidebound”

  • unhidebound
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kew- →