English
tighten
Tighten comes from Old English tyhtan ‘to draw, stretch, pull’, from Proto-Germanic *tuhtiz ‘pulling, discipline’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to lead, draw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to lead, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tuhtiz‘pulling, discipline’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tuhtijan‘to tow, pull, discipline’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tyhtan‘to draw, stretch, pull’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tighten
- Englishearliest quotation 1760same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to lead, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tuhtiz‘pulling, discipline’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tuhtijan‘to tow, pull, discipline’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tyhtan‘to draw, stretch, pull’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tighten
- Englishearliest quotation 1760same form
Earliest quotation: 1760, Francis Fawkes, Works of Anacreon: “Just where I please, with tighten;d rein / I'll…”
Formed from tight + -en
Proto-Indo-European *tenk- ‘to contract’
…
Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz
Proto-West Germanic *þį̄ht(ī)
Old English *þiht
Middle English tight
English tight
The story
Synchronically equivalent to tight + -en, but actually derived from Middle English tighten, from Old English tyhtan, thus originally unrelated to tight (Old English *þiht).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to lead, draw’
team, education, production, product, touch, produce, reduce, conduct, duke, introduction, introduce, toy, reduction, tie, duchess, educate, tow, tying, dolphin, duct, induce, educator, tuck, tug, conn, douche, conducive, seduce, subdue, duchy, doge, herzog, taut, transducer, duc, tether, redux, cond, duce, redoubt, 126 more
Today it means
verb To make tighter.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dewk- / tighten