Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “tow” come from?

tow (Middle English) comes from Old English tow-, from Proto-Germanic tawwą, from Proto-Indo-European dewh₂- — to fit.

tow (Middle English): Unprepared flax, especially used as a...

Definitions

  1. Unprepared flax, especially used as a...

Ancestry of “tow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishtow-spinning
2Proto-Germanictawwątool; apparatus; gadget; equipment; rigging;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeandewh₂-to fit

Words derived from “tow”

  • tough
  • toughen
  • toughie
  • toughminded
  • toughish
  • toughmindedness
  • toughener
  • supertough
  • untough
  • toughmindedly
  • ultratough
  • toughenable
  • tuffare
  • tuff
  • tough
  • töff
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewh₂- →