Where does “toe rag” come from?
toe rag (English) comes from English toe, from Middle English to, from Middle English tone, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
toe rag (English): A tramp; A cloth worn wrapped around the foot...
Definitions
- A tramp; A cloth worn wrapped around the foot...
Ancestry of “toe rag”, step by step
toe rag traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English toe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toe | Each of the five digits on the end of the foot;... |
| 2 | Middle English | to | toe; to; too |
| 3 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 4 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |
via English rag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rag | Tattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | ragge | rag, cloth scrap; cloth strip, band of fabric;... |
| 3 | Old English | ragg | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | rǫgg | shagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rūhaz | rough |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rewk- | to dig; to till |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃er- | to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,... |