Etymograph

English

strid

Strid comes from Middle English stryd.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stryd1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1807strid1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English strid
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1807, William Wordsworth, The Force of Prayer: “The pair have reached that fearful chasm, How tempting…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500strydWiktionary, English strid
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1807stridWiktionary, English strid. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1807, William Wordsworth, The Force of Prayer: “The pair have reached that fearful chasm, How tempting…”

The story

The noun term comes from the appearance that the river may be crossable with a stride.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Every English word from Middle English stryd

Today it means

noun A place where a chasm or gorge is narrow enough to be crossed.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “strid”. 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 / Middle English stryd / strid

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