Where does “ticking” come from?
Ticking derives from Middle English -ing combined with Latin theca, from Ancient Greek θήκη, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.
ticking (English): A strong cotton or linen fabric used to cover...
Definitions
- A strong cotton or linen fabric used to cover...
Ancestry of “ticking”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tick | A tiny woodland arachnid of the suborder Ixodida;... |
| 2 | English | ticket | A pass entitling the holder to admission to a... |
| 3 | Middle French | estiquet | a slip of paper with names of witnesses on it |
| 4 | Middle French | estiquier | Alternative form of estacher |
| 5 | Middle French | estacher | to attach |
| 6 | Old French | estachier | Alternative form of atachier; bind; to fasten... |
| 7 | Old French | estache | stake; strap |
| 8 | Medieval Latin | staca | a stake |
| 9 | Gothic | 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌺𐌰 | — |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | stakô | stake |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |