Etymograph

English

tangle

Tangle comes from Middle English tanglen.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tanglen
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1646tangle

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tanglen
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1646tangle

Earliest quotation: 1646, Richard Crashaw: “When my simple weakness strays, / Tangled in forbidden…”

The story

From Middle English tanglen, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Swedish taggla (‘to disorder’), Old Norse þǫngull, þang (‘tangle; seaweed’), see Etymology 2 below.

Every English word from Middle English tanglen

Another origin of tangle

  1. Old Norsec. 800–1350þongull
  2. Danishmoderntanguncertain
  3. Englishtodaytangle

Today it means

verb To mix together or intertwine.

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

Etymograph / Middle English tanglen / tangle

Shirt and support for this word