Etymograph

English

strength

Strength comes from Old English strengþu, from Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu, from *strang ‘strong’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘to twist’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-1‘to twist; rope, cord’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangaz2‘tight, strict; strong’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strang3‘strong’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strangiþu4‘strength’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150strengþu4‘strength’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500strengthe4
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1526strength4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strangaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strang
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English strength
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “ſtrengthed with all myght / thꝛowe hys gloꝛious power…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strangaz‘to twist; rope, cord’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangazWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strang‘tight, strict; strong’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strangWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu‘strong’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strangiþuWiktionary, English strength‘strength’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150strengþuWiktionary, English strength‘strength’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500strengtheWiktionary, English strength
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1526strengthWiktionary, English strength. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “ſtrengthed with all myght / thꝛowe hys gloꝛious power…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘stiff, rigid’

still, start, street, stern, cholesterol, straw, stare, torpedo, stereo, starve, throttle, sterile, sterility, 18 more

through Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’

district, stress, strict, string, strain, prestige, strait, stronghold, 43 more

through Proto-Germanic *strangaz ‘tight, strict, straight’

stronger, strongly, strongest, 2 more

through Proto-West Germanic *strang ‘strong’

strong, 3 more

Today it means

noun The quality or degree of being strong.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “strength”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *strangaz, Proto-West Germanic *strang, Proto-West Germanic *strangiþu. 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- / strength

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