Where does “neckcloth” come from?
Neckcloth comes from Middle English cloth, from Old English clāþ, from Proto-Germanic hnakkô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gel- meaning to ball up or wind together.
neckcloth (English): An ornamental cravat, usually white
Definitions
- An ornamental cravat, usually white
Ancestry of “neckcloth”, step by step
neckcloth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English neck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neck | The part of the body connecting the head and the... |
| 2 | Middle English | nekke | neck |
| 3 | Old English | hnecca | back of the neck; back of the head; neck |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hnakkō | nape |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hnakkô | the back of the neck; nape |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | knog- | back of the head, nape, neck |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |
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 |