Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tight” come from?

Tight comes from Middle English tight, from Middle English thight, from Old Norse þéttr, from Proto-Germanic þinhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European tenkt-, from Proto-Indo-European ten-.

tight (English): Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open;...

Definitions

  1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open;...

Ancestry of “tight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtight—
2Old Englishþiht—

Words derived from “tight”

  • tightly
  • tighter
  • tightness
  • airtight
  • tights
  • watertight
  • tightrope
  • skintight
  • tightfisted
  • tightwad
  • airtightness
  • watertightness
  • tightknit
  • gastight
  • weathertight
  • tightish
  • steamtight
  • tightass
  • overtight
  • supertight
  • raintight
  • tightwire
  • sticktight
  • ultratight
Every word from Old English þiht →