Where does “threadbare” come from?

Threadbare comes from Middle English bare, meaning uncovered or worn thin, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-, which originally meant to bear or carry.

threadbare (English): shabby, frayed and worn to an extent that warp...

Definitions

  1. shabby, frayed and worn to an extent that warp...

Ancestry of “threadbare”, step by step

threadbare traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bare

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbareMinimal; that is or are just sufficient; Naked,...
2Middle EnglishbareAlternative form of bor
3Old Englishbærbare, naked, unconcealed
4Proto-West Germanicbaʀbare, naked
5Proto-Germanicbazazbare, naked
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰosósbare, barefoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰos-to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot

via English thread

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthreadA long, thin and flexible form of material,...
2Middle Englishþredthread (of twine or fibre)
3Old Englishþrǣd—
4Proto-Germanicþrēduzthread, twisted fibre
5Proto-Indo-Europeantreh₁-tu-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “threadbare”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰos- →