Etymograph

English

tape

Tape comes from Middle English tape, from Old English tæppa ‘ribbon, tape’, of unclear further origin.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150tæppa1‘ribbon, tape’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tape1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1817tape1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English tape
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1817, The White Dwarf: A London Weekly Publica: “[…] who is now puffing his pipe and sipping…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150tæppaWiktionary, English tape‘ribbon, tape’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tapeWiktionary, English tape
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1817tapeWiktionary, English tape. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1817, The White Dwarf: A London Weekly Publica: “[…] who is now puffing his pipe and sipping…”

Linked words

through Old English tæppa ‘ribbon, tape’

tap, 1 more

Today it means

noun Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tape”. 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 / Old English tæppa / tape

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