Etymograph

English

distrain

Distrain comes from Latin distringō ‘to pull asunder’, from stringō ‘to draw tight, strain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘to twist’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-1‘to twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréngʰeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strengō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstringō2‘to draw tight, strain’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdistringō2‘to pull asunder’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400destraindre2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500distreynen2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1590distrain2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin stringo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English distrain
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book VII: “But when he heard her answeres loth, he knew…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-Wiktionary, Latin stringo‘to twist’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréngʰetiWiktionary, Latin stringoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strengōWiktionary, Latin stringoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstringōWiktionary, English distrain‘to draw tight, strain’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdistringōWiktionary, English distrain‘to pull asunder’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400destraindreWiktionary, English distrain
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500distreynenWiktionary, English distrain
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1590distrainWiktionary, English distrain. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book VII: “But when he heard her answeres loth, he knew…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘to twist’

strong, strength, string, 39 more

through Proto-Indo-European *stréngʰeti

vasoconstriction, 30 more

through Proto-Italic *strengō

restriction, restrict, constriction, constrictor, constrict, 31 more

through Latin stringō ‘to draw tight, strain’

strict, prestige, strait, constraint, restrain, constrain, 39 more

through Latin distringō ‘to pull asunder’

stress, 2 more

Today it means

verb To squeeze, press, embrace; to constrain, oppress.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “distrain”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin stringo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- / distrain

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