English
go strong
Go strong comes from Old English strang ‘strong’, from Proto-West Germanic *strang ‘severe, strict, rigorous’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘stiff, rigid’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-‘stiff, rigid’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangaz‘tight, strict, straight’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strang‘severe, strict, rigorous’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strangas strong‘strong’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851go strong
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-‘stiff, rigid’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangaz‘tight, strict, straight’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strang‘severe, strict, rigorous’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strangas strong‘strong’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851go strong
Earliest quotation: 1851, Gayhurst, Olla Podrida: “Merry Peal is a very smart mare[…] and Breba…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘stiff, rigid’
still, start, street, stare, stern, straw, stereo, torpedo, cholesterol, starve, throttle, sterile, strenuous, sterility, 16 more
through Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’
district, stress, strict, string, strain, prestige, strait, 43 more
through Proto-Germanic *strangaz ‘tight, strict, straight’
stronger, strengthen, strongest, 2 more
through Proto-West Germanic *strang ‘severe, strict, rigorous’
through Old English strang ‘strong’
Today it means
verb To do well; to succeed.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ster- / go strong