Where does “straighten” come from?
Straighten comes from Middle English -en and Old English -en, derived from Proto-Germanic jainaz and Proto-Indo-European streg-, meaning to stretch or extend.
straighten (English): To cause to become straight; To become straight;...
Definitions
- To cause to become straight; To become straight;...
Ancestry of “straighten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | straight | Not crooked or bent; having a constant direction... |
| 2 | Middle English | streight | straight; direct |
| 3 | Middle English | strecchen | To stretch out, spread, extend; To stretch,... |
| 4 | Old English | streċċan | to stretch, hold out, extend, spread out,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | strakkjan | to stretch, to make straight |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)treg- | rigid, stiff; to be stiff, rigid, strong |