*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cinch

Borrowed from Occitan cencha, from Latin cincta, or from Spanish cincha (“a belt or girth”), from Late Latin cingula, from Latin cingulum. Doublet of cingle.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A simple saddle girth used in Mexico. · Something that is very easy to do. · Something that is obvious or certain to occur; a sure thing. · A firm hold.

verb

To bring to certain conclusion. · To tighten down.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Occitan cencha, from Latin cincta, or from Spanish cincha (“a belt or girth”), from Late Latin cingula, from Latin cingulum. Doublet of cingle.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "oc",
        "3": "cencha"
      },
      "expansion": "Occitan cencha"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "cincta"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cincta"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "cincha",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a belt or girth"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish cincha (“a belt or girth”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "cingula"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin cingula"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "cingulum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cingulum"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cingle"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cingle"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cencha",
      "cencha#Occitan"
    ],
    [
      "cincta",
      "cincta#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cincha",
      "cincha#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "cingula",
      "cingula#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cingulum",
      "cingulum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cingle",
      "cingle#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A simple saddle girth used in Mexico.",
        "Something that is very easy to do.",
        "Something that is obvious or certain to occur; a sure thing.",
        "A firm hold."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
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    },
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To bring to certain conclusion.",
        "To tighten down."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A variety of auction pitch in which a draw to improve the hand is added, and the five of trumps (called "right Pedro") and the five of the same colour (called "left Pedro", and ranking between the five and the four of trumps) are each worth five. Fifty-one points make a game.

verb

In the game of cinch, to protect (a trick) by playing a higher trump than the five.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Compare senses at etymology 1 (a girth, a tight grip), perhaps suggesting the tactics used in the game; or perhaps from Spanish cinco (“five”), the five spots of the colour of the trump being important cards.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentioncincoes · five
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "cinco",
        "t": "five"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish cinco (“five”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cinco",
      "cinco#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A variety of auction pitch in which a draw to improve the hand is added, and the five of trumps (called \"right Pedro\") and the five of the same colour (called \"left Pedro\", and ranking between the five and the four of trumps) are each worth five. Fifty-one points make a game."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "In the game of cinch, to protect (a trick) by playing a higher trump than the five."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

An RCA connector.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain; perhaps from Cinch Connectors, a Chicago-based company producing connectors.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An RCA connector."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Europe"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cinch →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2luY2g