Where does “towelry” come from?

towelry (English) comes from English towel, from Middle English towayle, from Old French toaille, from Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish þwahilu, from Proto-Germanic þwahaną — to wash, bathe.

towelry (English): Towels collectively

Definitions

  1. Towels collectively

Ancestry of “towelry”, step by step

towelry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English towel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtowelA cloth used for wiping, especially one used for...
2Middle EnglishtowayleA cloth for washing; a towel or washcloth; A...
3Old Frenchtoailletowel
4Medieval Latintoalliatowel, washcloth
5Frankishþwahilutowel, washcloth; cloth
6Proto-Germanicþwahanąto wash, bathe

via English ry

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishryA test pattern consisting of a repeating character string alternating letters R and Y, used to test five-level teleprinter and radioteletype (RTTY) systems
Every word from Proto-Germanic þwahaną
towelry — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer