English word origin

Etymology of tew

From Middle English tewen, a variant of tawen (“to taw, prepare”). More at taw.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

Prep work; labour. · Trouble; worry. · Constant work; bustling; worry, excitement.

verb

To tow along, as a vessel. · To prepare (leather, hemp, etc.) by beating or working; to taw. · To beat; to scourge. · To muddle; to mix up.

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

From Middle English tewen, a variant of tawen (“to taw, prepare”). More at taw.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiontewenenm

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tewen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tewen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tewen",
      "tewen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tawen",
      "tawen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "taw",
      "taw#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Prep work; labour.",
        "Trouble; worry.",
        "Constant work; bustling; worry, excitement."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "37bb108ce1217b36aa9391ea28f53d8927257fe35007c9391d5cc1376904caad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fe79318248514abf0725f404d51c2131180364ddfd9eae34adae6ec69cbdaab5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 775914
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To tow along, as a vessel.",
        "To prepare (leather, hemp, etc.) by beating or working; to taw.",
        "To beat; to scourge.",
        "To muddle; to mix up."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "recordId": "e1e4809c465c07d0cfc1829781efaa73943b55c4339f85b094c4487450e161e7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1f1958f079dc832ad9a1f0f58d20ad61d3769c8880d784e23ecc32e798a5deab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 775915
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Fishing tackle; a rope or chain for towing a boat; a net. · A cord; a string.

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

Uncertain. Perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English *tewe, *teoȝ, from Old English *tēog (“utensil, tackle, rigging”), from Proto-West Germanic *teug, from Proto-Germanic *teugą (“gear, utensil”). If so, then cognate with West Frisian túch (“rigging, tackle”), Dutch tuig (“rigging, tackle”), German Zeug (“equipment, stuff”). More at toy.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mention*teweenm
Inherited-form mention*tēogang · utensil, tackle, rigging
Inherited-form mention*teuggmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*teugągem-pro · gear, utensil
Cognate mentiontúchfy · rigging, tackle
Cognate mentiontuignl · rigging, tackle
Cognate mentionZeugde · equipment, stuff

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*tewe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *tewe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*tēog",
        "t": "utensil, tackle, rigging"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *tēog (“utensil, tackle, rigging”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*teug"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *teug"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*teugą",
        "t": "gear, utensil"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *teugą (“gear, utensil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "túch",
        "t": "rigging, tackle"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian túch (“rigging, tackle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "tuig",
        "t": "rigging, tackle"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch tuig (“rigging, tackle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Zeug",
        "t": "equipment, stuff"
      },
      "expansion": "German Zeug (“equipment, stuff”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*tewe",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/tewe"
    ],
    [
      "*teoȝ",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/teoȝ"
    ],
    [
      "*tēog",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/teog"
    ],
    [
      "*teug",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/teug"
    ],
    [
      "*teugą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/teugą"
    ],
    [
      "túch",
      "túch#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tuig",
      "tuig#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Zeug",
      "Zeug#German"
    ],
    [
      "toy",
      "toy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Fishing tackle; a rope or chain for towing a boat; a net.",
        "A cord; a string."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "d870e9691b8f870511e0a61cb65693fb4091e32de323d941e32c0a28c283610d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0f2316ba83518b8e56a325e3c8a220447b48d410a7431ef37cb2d7397c391924",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 775916
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 tew →

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-dGV3