Etymograph

English

rope

Rope comes from Middle English rop ‘a rope’, from Proto-West Germanic *raip ‘strip, band’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- ‘to tear, tear down’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reyp-‘to tear, tear down’root as named
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁roypnós‘strap, band, rope’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raipaz‘strip’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raip‘strip, band’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150rāp‘rope, cord, cable’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rop‘a rope’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1852rope

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reyp-‘to tear, tear down’root as named
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁roypnós‘strap, band, rope’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raipaz‘strip’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raip‘strip, band’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150rāp‘rope, cord, cable’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rop‘a rope’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1852rope

Earliest quotation: 1852, John Bourne: “The principle of any such device should be to…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- ‘to tear, tear down’

river, arrive, reap, ripe, riviera, rife, taser, riparian, rive, 4 more

through Old English rāp ‘rope, cord, cable’

rape, 1 more

Another origin of rope

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁reyp-‘to tear, tear down’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raipaz‘strip’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raip‘strip, band’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150rāp
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rop
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500ropen‘to form ropes’
  7. Englishtodayrope

Another origin of rope

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150roppas rop‘intestine’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rop‘gut, intestine’
  3. Englishtodayrope

Today it means

noun Thick strings, yarn, monofilaments, metal wires, or strands of other cordage that are twisted together to form a stronger line.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- / rope

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