Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tangle” come from?

Tangle comes from Danish tang, from Old Norse tǫng, from Proto-Germanic tangiz, from Proto-Indo-European denḱ-.

tangle (English): to become mixed together or intertwined; to enter...

Definitions

  1. to become mixed together or intertwined; to enter...

Ancestry of “tangle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseþangtangle; seaweed
2Old Norseþongull—
3Proto-Germanicþanga—
4Proto-Indo-Europeantenk-to be solid, firm; to be suitable; to succeed,...

Words derived from “tangle”

  • untangle
  • untangling
  • tanglefoot
  • detangle
  • tangly
  • tangler
  • detangler
  • intertangle
  • tanglesome
  • untangler
  • tanglefooted
  • tangleproof
  • tanglegram
  • antitangle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tenk- →