English
hammercloth
Hammercloth may come from Dutch hemel ‘heaven, canopy, tester’.
- Dutchc. 1500–presenthemel‘heaven, canopy, tester’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1860hammercloth
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Dutchc. 1500–presenthemel‘heaven, canopy, tester’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1860hammercloth
Earliest quotation: 1860, – 1861 August, Charles Dickens: “Nevertheless, a hackney-coachman, who seemed to have as many…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, acid, ear, acute, eager, axe, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acetate, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, mediocrity, acuity, exacerbate, acumen, acme, hark, acyl, acrid, rosacea, acrimony, roselle, acerbic, exacerbation, 72 more
Today it means
noun The cloth that covers a coachbox.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Dutch hemel / hammercloth