Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A tramp; A cloth worn wrapped around the foot...

Ancestry of “toe rag”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtoeEach of the five digits on the end of the foot;...
2Middle Englishtotoe; to; too
3Middle Englishtonethe one
4LatintonusThe stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;...
5Ancient Greekτόνοςrope, cord; chord; tone, note
6Proto-Hellenictónosrope, cord; tension
7Proto-Indo-Europeantónossomething stretched; chord, fiber, string
8Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →