Where does “touw” come from?
touw (Middle English) comes from Old English tow-, from Proto-Germanic tawwą, from Proto-Indo-European dewh₂- — to fit.
Ancestry of “touw”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | tow- | spinning |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | tawwą | tool; apparatus; gadget; equipment; rigging;... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | dewh₂- | to fit |