Etymology

tangle

tan·gle
T1A1N1G2L1E1

Today it means: To mix together or intertwine. Full definition →

Middle English tanglen ← North Germanic
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tangle · verb, noun1

  1. North Germanic · derived from
  2. Middle English · inherited fromtanglen
  3. English todaytangle

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

tangle · noun2

  1. Old Norse · derived fromþongull, þang
  2. Swedish · derived fromtång
  3. Danish · derived fromtang
  4. English todaytangle

Of North Germanic origin, such as Danish tang or Swedish tång, from Old Norse þongull, þang. See also Norwegian tongul, Faroese tongul, Icelandic þöngull.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.