Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stretchable” come from?

stretchable (English) comes from English stretch, from Middle English strecchen, from Old English streċċan, from Proto-West Germanic strakkjan, from Proto-Indo-European (s)treg- — rigid, stiff; to be stiff, rigid, strong.

stretchable (English): Capable of being stretched

Definitions

  1. Capable of being stretched

Ancestry of “stretchable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstretchTo lengthen by pulling; To lengthen when pulled;...
2Middle EnglishstrecchenTo stretch out, spread, extend; To stretch,...
3Old Englishstreċċanto stretch, hold out, extend, spread out,...
4Proto-West Germanicstrakkjanto stretch, to make straight
5Proto-Indo-European(s)treg-rigid, stiff; to be stiff, rigid, strong

Words derived from “stretchable”

  • nonstretchable
  • stretchably
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)treg- →