Etymology

strength

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Today it means: The quality or degree of being strong. Full definition →

First used 12th–17th c.Middle English strengthe ← Old English strengþu ← Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu
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The story

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*strangiþu“strongness; strength”
  2. Old English · inherited fromstrengþu“strength”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromstrengthe
  4. English todaystrength

From Middle English strengthe, from Old English strengþu (“strength”), from Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu (“strongness; strength”), equivalent to strong + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Dutch strengte (“strength”), German Low German Strengde, Strengte (“harshness; rigidity; strictness; severity”).

First known use, by meaning

  • 12th–17th c. To strengthen (all senses).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.