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Origin and history of yarn

yarn(n.1)

Middle English, from Old English gearn, originally "thread of any kind from natural fibers," later especially "spun fiber, spun wool, thread prepared for weaving;" from Proto-Germanic *garnan, reconstructed in Watkins to be from PIE root *ghere- "intestine, gut, entrail."

Germanic cognates include Old Norse, Old High German, German garn, Middle Dutch gaern, Dutch garen "yarn."

yarn(n.2)

"story, tale," often implying "marvelous, incredible, untrue," colloquial, by 1812 in the figurative verbal phrase spinning a yarn (also yarning).

It is said (by 1823) to be originally nautical, a sailors' expression, from the custom of telling stories while engaged in sedentary work such as yarn-twisting (see yarn (n.1)).

There is an old story in every sailor's mouth, that when a boatswain asked his officer, what the ship's company should be set to work about, he was answered, "let them knot yarns, and make spun-yarn." The boatswain replied, that, "all the rope-yarns had been already made into spun-yarn." "Then make the spun-yarn into rope-yarn" was the order. ["The Naval Chronicle" for 1808, London]

To spin street yarn was a parallel contemporary expression, a figure of idleness, perhaps suggesting idle gossip:

For my part, sir, I am one of those who have little to do but spin street yarn and listen to the talk of the wise ones[.] As I was lounging up street the other morning, (etc.) [Delaware Gazette, April 7, 1810]

When I pass a house and see the yard covered with stumps, old hoops and broken earthenware, I guess the man is a horse jockey, and the woman a spinner of street-yarn. [from a widely reprinted piece, "Guess-Work," by 1811]

Another version of the same moralistic essay has "she spins more street yarn than cotton." A line of an anti-embargo verse from 1808 connect the land and sea aspects of "yarn-spinning":

But now our ships they are unrigg'd,

Our sailors spin street yarn, sir—

Our merchants fail—our farmers sigh—

Their grain lies in the barn, sir.

[Portland (Maine) Gazette, March 21, 1808]

also from 1812

Entries linking to yarn

spin(v.)

Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan (transitive) "draw out and twist (raw fibers) into thread," strong verb (past tense spann, past participle spunnen), from Proto-Germanic *spenwan (source also of Old Norse and Old Frisian spinna, Danish spinde, Dutch spinnen, Old High German spinnan, German spinnen, Gothic spinnan), from a suffixed form of PIE root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin."

The intransitive senses of "form threads from fibrous stuff; twist, writhe" developed in late Old English. Figurative use, "to fabricate or produce in a manner analogous in some way to spinning," is by 1550s (also compare yarn). Of spiders from late 14c. In reference to insects (silk worms) by 1510s.

The transitive sense of "cause to turn rapidly" is from 1610s; the intransitive meaning "revolve, turn around rapidly" is recorded by 1660s. To spin out in a motor vehicle is by 1954. To spin one's wheels in the figurative sense of "do work but get no result for it" is by 1960. The meaning "play a phonograph record" is attested by 1936 (Variety).

The meaning "attempt to influence reporters' minds after an event has taken place but before they have written about it" seems to have risen to popularity in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign; as in spin doctor, which was prominent in newspaper accounts of the election from c. Oct. 23, 1984.

[Joe] Jamele insists his job is just to go for coffee. But others call him a "spin doctor," a Reagan camp term for a person who tries to influence the proper "spin" on news stories. [Rutland, Vt., Herald, Nov. 2, 1984]

In the Middle English phrase When adam delf & eue span (which concludes variously), "in the earliest times," span is the old past tense of spin (along with spanne, spane; spunne, sponne); the reference is to his digging and her spinning as characteristic occupations (compare distaff).

*ghere-

*gherə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "gut, entrail."

It might form all or part of: Chordata; chordate; chord (n.2) "structure in animals resembling a string;" chorion; cord; cordon; harpsichord; haruspex; hernia; notochord; yarn.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit hira "vein; band;" Latin hernia "rupture;" Greek khorde "intestine, gut-string;" Lithuanian žarna "guts, leather bag;" Old English gearn, Old High German garn "yarn" (originally made of dried gut), Old Norse gorn "gut."

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