Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thread” come from?

Thread comes from Middle English thred, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic þrēduz, from Proto-Indo-European treh₁-tu-, derived from the root terh₁-.

thread (English): A long, thin and flexible form of material,...

Definitions

  1. A long, thin and flexible form of material,...

Ancestry of “thread”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishþred—
2Old Englishþrǣd—
3Proto-Germanicþrēduzthread, twisted fibre
4Proto-Indo-Europeantreh₁-tu-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “thread”

  • threadbare
  • threadlike
  • thready
  • packthread
  • threadfin
  • threadworm
  • threader
  • multithread
  • unthread
  • threadless
  • rethread
  • goldthread
  • threadwork
  • threadsafe
  • interthread
  • threaden
  • threadbareness
  • threadiness
  • threadable
  • subthread
  • threadfish
  • protothread
  • unthreadable
  • threadability
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →