Advertisement

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of sew

sew(v.)

"unite or attach (fabric, etc.) by means of thread or similar material, with or without aid of a needle or awl;" Middle English seuen, from Old English siwian "to stitch, sew, mend, patch, knit together, fasten by sewing," earlier siowian, from Proto-Germanic *siwjanan (source also of Old Norse syja, Swedish sy, Danish sye, Old Frisian sia, Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan "to sew"), from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew."

From c. 1200 as "produce or construct (clothing, a garment) by means of a needle and thread." The intransitive sense of "work with a needle or thread, practice sewing" is by mid-15c. Related: Sewed; sewing. Sewn is a modern variant past-participle.

To sew up (a wound, etc.) "close by stitching the edges together" is by late 15c. (Caxton); the modern colloquial sew (something) up "bring to a desired conclusion" is a figurative use attested by 1904.

Entries linking to sew

sewing(n.)

c. 1300, seuinge, "art or practice of sewing; " c. 1400, "sewn work, a piece of work with needle and thread;" verbal noun from sew (v.). By late 14c. as "action of sewing, the making or mending of garments as an act or occupation." Sewing-machine, "machine for stitching fabrics," is attested by 1847. They were originally operated by foot-power. Sewing-circle, "society of women or girls meeting to saw for the benefit of charitable or religious objects," is by 1834, American English.

sewer(n.2)

"one who sews or uses the needle," late 14c., agent noun from sew (v.). Seuestre "seamstress" is attested from mid-14c. (late 13c. as a surname) and also was used of men.

*syu-

syū-, also sū:-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to bind, sew."

It might form all or part of: accouter; couture; hymen; Kama Sutra; seam; sew; souter; souvlaki; sutra; sutile; suture.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit sivyati "sews," sutram "thread, string;" Greek hymen "thin skin, membrane," hymnos "song;" Latin suere "to sew, sew together;" Old Church Slavonic šijo "to sew," šivu "seam;" Lettish siuviu, siuti "to sew," siuvikis "tailor;" Russian švec "tailor;" Old English siwian "to stitch, sew, mend, patch, knit together."

    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Trends of sew

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    tailor
    "one who makes the outer garments of men and other garments of heavy stuff," late 13c., tailloir (late 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French tailour, Old French tailleor "tailor," also "stone-mason" (13c., Modern French tailleur), literally "a cutter," from tailler "to cut," from
    stitch
    Middle English stiche, from Old English stice "a prick, puncture, sting, stab" (senses now obsolete), from Proto-Germanic *stikiz (source also of Old Frisian steke, Old High German stih, German Stich "a pricking, prick, sting, stab"), from PIE *stig-i-, from root *steig- "to stic
    accouter
    "arrange, dispose, put on (clothing)," probably originally "sew up," from Vulgar Latin *accosturare "to sew together, sew...up," from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + *consutura "a sewing together," from Latin consutus, past participle of consuere "to sew...together," from con- (see com-) + suere "to sew" (from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew")....
    couture
    dressmaking, sewing," from Old French costure (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *consutura, from past participle of Latin consuere "to sew...together," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see com-) + suere "to sew" (from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew"...
    souter
    maker or mender of shoes," Middle English soutere, from Old English sutere, from Latin sutor "shoemaker," from suere "to sew..., stitch" (from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew")....
    needle
    German nadala, German Nadel, Gothic neþla "needle"), literally "a tool for sewing," from PIE *net-la-, from root *(s)ne- "to sew..., to spin" (source also of Sanskrit snayati "wraps up," Greek nein "to spin," Latin nere "to spin," German nähen "to sew,..." Old Church Slavonic niti "thread," Old Irish snathat "needle," Welsh nyddu "to sew," nodwydd "needle") + instrumental suffix...
    snood
    for the hair," from Proto-Germanic *snodo (source also of Swedish snod "string, cord"), from PIE root *(s)ne- "to spin, sew...
    fasten
    Old English fæstnian "make fast, make firm, fix, secure," also "ratify, betroth, confirm," from Proto-Germanic *fastinon "to make firm or fast" (source also of Old Frisian festnia "to make firm, bind fast," Old Saxon fastnon, Old High German fastnion, German festnen, Old Norse fa
    quilt
    c. 1300, "sack stuffed with wool, down, etc. used as a mattress," from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute, quilte "quilt, mattress" (12c.), from Latin culcita "mattress, bolster," a word of unknown etymology. The sense of "thick outer bed covering, cover or coverlet ma
    tuck
    late 14c., "to pull or gather up," earlier "to pluck, stretch" (implied in tucker "one who finishes clothes by stretching them on tenters, late 13c. as a surname), probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch tucken "pull up, draw up, tug" (cognate with Old English tucian "mis

    Share sew

    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Trending
    Dictionary entries near sew
    Advertisement

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

    Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.