Where does “sewing” come from?

Sewing comes from Middle English -ing (gerund suffix) added to Old English sēowan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₁- meaning to sew or stitch.

sewing (English): present participle of sew; The action of the verb...

Definitions

  1. present participle of sew; The action of the verb...

Ancestry of “sewing”, step by step

sewing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English sew

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsewTo use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through...
2Middle EnglishsewAlternative form of sowe
3Old Englishseawsap, juice; moisture; humour
4Proto-West Germanic*sauwjuice

via Middle English sewinge

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsewinge
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *sauwEvery word from Old English seawEvery word from Middle English sew
sewing — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer