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Origin and history of strop

strop(n.)

mid-14c., stroppe, "loop or strap on a harness," also in nautical use in reference to a ship's rigging, perhaps shortened from Old French estrop, making it the older and more correct form of strap (n.). It was replaced by that word from 16c. But Germanic candidates for its original might include Old English strop "thong for an oar," Middle Low German strop, Middle Dutch strop "loop, noose," Middle Low German strope "loop on a horse's harness."

The specific sense of "leather strap used for smoothing the edge of a razor drawn over it" is recorded by 1702. The verb in this sense, "sharpen or smooth the edge of," is by 1841. Related: Stropped; stropping. The distribution of senses between strap and strop is arbitrary.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to strop

strap(n.)

1610s, "narrow band of leather," from a Scottish and/or nautical variant of strope "loop or strap on a harness" (mid-14c.), which is probably from Old French estrop "strap," from Latin stroppus "strap, band," ultimately (perhaps via Etruscan) from Greek strophos "twisted band; a cord, rope," from strephein "to turn" (see strepto-).

Old English stropp, Dutch strop "halter" also are borrowed from Latin, and the Old English word might be the source of the modern one. Generally a strap is used for mechanical purposes. As "long, narrow piece of iron or other metal," 1570s. Specifically as an instrument for flogging by 1710. The slang meaning "credit" is from 1828.

*streb(h)-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to wind, turn."

It might form all or part of: anastrophe; antistrophe; apostrophe (n.1); apostrophe (n.2); boustrophedon; catastrophe; epistrophe; strabismus; strap; strep; strepto-; streptococcus; streptomycin; strobe; strobic; stroboscope; strop; strophe; strophic.

It might also be the source of: Greek strophe "stanza," originally "a turning," strephein "to turn," strophaligs "whirl, whirlwind," streblos "twisted," stremma "that which is twisted."

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    Trends of strop

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

    More to explore

    chap
    open in fissures;" "cause to split or crack" (transitive); perhaps a variant of choppen (see chop (v.), and compare strap/strop...
    sharpen
    late 14c., sharpenen, "intensify;" mid-15c., "make a point sharp or sharper," from sharp (adj.) + -en (1). Related: Sharpened; sharpening. The older verb was simply sharp (Middle English sharpen), from the adjective and partly from Old English gescirpan (West Saxon), scerpan (Ang
    staple
    late 13c., stapel, "bent piece of metal with pointed ends," from Old English stapol, stapel "post, pillar, trunk of a tree, steps to a house," from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz "pillar" (source also of Old Norse stopull "tower," Old Saxon stapal "candle, small tub," Old Frisian stapu
    Arab
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    concrete
    late 14c., "actual, solid; particular, individual; denoting a substance," from Latin concretus "condensed, hardened, stiff, curdled, congealed, clotted," figuratively "thick; dim," literally "grown together;" past participle of concrescere "to grow together," from assimilated for
    banter
    "attack with good-humored jokes and jests," 1670s, origin uncertain; said by Swift to be a word from London street slang. Related: Bantered; bantering. The noun, "good-humored ridicule," is from 1680s. The third refinement observable in the letter I send you, consists in the cho

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