Etymograph

English

macramé

Macramé comes from Ottoman Turkish مقرمه, from Arabic مِقْرَمَة ‘ornamental fringe, embroidered veil’, and ultimately from Proto-Semitic *q-r-m.

  1. Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*q-r-mreconstructed
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentقَرَمَqarama‘to gnaw’
  3. Arabic, derivedc. 500–presentمِقْرَمmiqram‘bedspread’
  4. Arabic, derivedc. 500–presentمِقْرَمَةmiqrama‘ornamental fringe, embroidered veil’
  5. Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928مقرمهmakrame
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentmacramè
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmacramé
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2020same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*q-r-mreconstructed
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentقَرَمَqarama‘to gnaw’
  3. Arabic, derivedc. 500–presentمِقْرَمmiqram‘bedspread’
  4. Arabic, derivedc. 500–presentمِقْرَمَةmiqrama‘ornamental fringe, embroidered veil’
  5. Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928مقرمهmakrame
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentmacramè
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmacramé
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2020same form

Earliest quotation: 2020, Thunderbox Entertainment: “Robby is contemplating macramé.”

The story

1865, borrowed from French macramé, from Italian macramè, from Ottoman Turkish مقرمه (makrame), from Arabic مِقْرَمَة (miqrama, “ornamental fringe, embroidered veil”), from مِقْرَم (miqram, “bedspread”), from قَرَمَ (qarama, “to gnaw”), from Proto-Semitic *q-r-m.

Every English word from Proto-Semitic *q-r-m

Today it means

noun A form of decorative textile made by knotting and weaving.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Semitic *q-r-m / macramé

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