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Origin and history of twang

twang(n.)

"sound of a tense string plucked into sharp vibration," 1550s, of imitative origin. Originally the sound of plucked bows and musical strings; the extension to "a nasal vocal sound" is attested by 1660s; by 1690s especially as a distinctive manner of speaking associated with some place or people.

The verb is recorded by 1540s, "give out a sharp, metallic ring;" also "make music on an instrument played by plucking." Related: Twanged; twanging.

also from 1550s

Entries linking to twang

twangy(adj.)

"having a twang," 1858, from twang (n.) + -y (2). Related: Twangily; twanginess.

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    Trends of twang

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

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    moniker
    Rawlinson can decipher cuneiform, but can he tell us why "moniker"—the word has a certain Coptic or Egyptian twang—means...
    go
    Old English gan "to advance, walk; depart, go away; happen, take place; conquer; observe, practice, exercise," from West Germanic *gaian (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian gan, Middle Dutch gaen, Dutch gaan, Old High German gan, German gehen), from PIE root *ghē- "to release,
    sound
    "noise, what is heard, sensation produced through the ear," late 13c., soun, from Old French son "sound, musical note, voice," from Latin sonus "sound, a noise," from PIE *swon-o-, from root *swen- "to sound." The unetymological -d was established c. 1350-1550 (see D). Sound-boar
    articulate
    1590s, "to divide speech into distinct parts" (earlier in a now-obsolete sense "to formally bring charges against," 1550s), from Latin articulatus, past participle of articulare "to separate into joints," also "to utter distinctly," from articulus "a part, a member, a joint" (see
    say
    Middle English seien, from Old English secgan "to utter, inform, speak, tell, relate," from Proto-Germanic *sagjanan "to say" (source also of Old Saxon seggian, Old Norse segja, Danish sige, Old Frisian sedsa, Middle Dutch segghen, Dutch zeggen, Old High German sagen, German sage
    pick
    early 13c., picken "to peck;" c. 1300, piken "to work with a pick, to dig up," probably representing a fusion of Old English *pician "to prick," (implied by picung "a piercing, pricking," an 8c. gloss on Latin stigmata) with Old Norse pikka "to prick, peck," both from a Germanic
    enunciate
    1620s, "declare, express," from Latin enunciatus, properly enuntiatus, past participle of enuntiare "speak out, say, express, assert; divulge, disclose, reveal, betray," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + nuntiare "to announce," from nuntius "messenger" (from PIE root
    pluck
    Middle English plukken, "pull (something) off or out from a surface" (especially hair or feathers, but also teeth), from late Old English ploccian, pluccian "pull off, cull," from West Germanic *plokken (source also of Middle Low German plucken, Middle Dutch plocken, Dutch plukke
    broth
    "liquid in which flesh is boiled," Old English broþ, from Proto-Germanic *bruthan (source also of Old High German *brod, Old Norse broð), from verb root *bhreue- "to heat, boil, bubble;" also "liquid in which something has been boiled" (from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, eff
    pronounce
    mid-14c., pronouncen, "to declare officially, proclaim, announce;" late 14c., "to speak, utter" (words, a language, etc.), "form or articulate with the organs of speech," from Old French prononcier "declare, speak out, pronounce" (late 13c., Modern French prononcer) and directly

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