Where does “tenterhook” come from?
tenterhook (English) comes from English hook, from Swedish hök, from Old Swedish høker, from Middle Low German hȫker, from Old High German huchan, from Proto-Germanic *hūkan-, from Proto-Germanic *hūkkan-, from Proto-Germanic *huk(k)ōn- — flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten.
tenterhook (English): One of a series of hooks used to stretch cloth on...
Definitions
- One of a series of hooks used to stretch cloth on...
Ancestry of “tenterhook”, step by step
tenterhook traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hook
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hook | A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with... |
| 2 | Swedish | hök | a hawk; a hawk; proponent of aggressive politics |
| 3 | Old Swedish | høker | hawk |
| 4 | Middle Low German | hȫker | peddler |
| 5 | Old High German | huchan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkan- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkkan- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *huk(k)ōn- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *kuk-néh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |
via English tenter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tenter | A framework upon which cloth is stretched and... |
| 2 | Latin | tentorium | tent |
| 3 | Latin | -torium | nominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative... |
| 4 | Latin | -tōrius | ory |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |