Where does “lengthwise” come from?

Lengthwise comes from English length plus the suffix -wise, from Middle English -wis, Old English -wīs, Proto-Germanic langaz meaning long, and Proto-Indo-European dl̥h₁gʰós.

lengthwise (English): In the long direction of an oblong object

Definitions

  1. In the long direction of an oblong object

Ancestry of “lengthwise”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlengthThe distance measured along the longest dimension...
2Middle Englishlengthelength
3Old Englishlengþulength
4Proto-Germaniclangiþōlongness, length
5Proto-Germaniclangazlong
6Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →