Where does “loincloth” come from?
Loincloth comes from English cloth combined with loin, which derives from Middle English loine, Old English lendenu, Latin lumbus meaning "loin or flank," and Proto-Indo-European gel- meaning "to roll or wind."
loincloth (English): A garment worn about the loins and covering the...
Definitions
- A garment worn about the loins and covering the...
Ancestry of “loincloth”, step by step
loincloth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English loin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | loin | The part of the body at each side of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | loyne | The loins or their muscles |
| 3 | Old French | loigne | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | *lumbea | — |
| 5 | Latin | lumbus | loin; lumbar; genitals |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | lonðwos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰwos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |
via English cloth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cloth | A woven fabric such as used in dressing,... |
| 2 | Middle English | cloþ | Alternative form of cloth; cloth, garment |
| 3 | Old English | clāþ | cloth, clothes, covering, sail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klaiþą | cloth |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gleyt- | to cling to, cleave, stick |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |