Where does “tentpole” come from?

tentpole (English) comes from English tent, from Middle English tent, from Middle English attent, from Old French atente, from Latin attenta, from Latin attendere, from Latin attendo, from Latin ad- — in.

tentpole (English): One of the poles used to hold up a tent; A...

Definitions

  1. One of the poles used to hold up a tent; A...

Ancestry of “tentpole”, step by step

tentpole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English tent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtentA pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins,...
2Middle Englishtentattention
3Middle Englishattentattention
4Old Frenchatenteattention, intention
5Latinattentasecond-person singular present active imperative...
6Latinattenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
7LatinattendoI pay attention, attend; I direct or turn toward
8Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
9Latinīn-un-, non-, not
10Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
11Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
12Proto-Italicenin
13Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

via English Pole

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPoleA person from Poland or of Polish descent
2Middle Englishpolepole, stake, staff
3Old Frenchpoulehen
4Vulgar Latinpullanominative feminine singular of pullus;...
5LatinpullusA young animal; darling; dark-colored; dusky
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanpolHwóspale, gray
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanpelH-pale, gray
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én