*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tire

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn Old English tēorian Middle English tiren English tire From Middle English tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exha

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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 ↗
verb

To become sleepy or weary. · To make sleepy or weary. · To become bored or impatient (with). · To bore.

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

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn Old English tēorian Middle English tiren English tire From Middle English tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exhausted; tire, weary, exhaust”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”), which is possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dews- (“to fail, be behind, lag”). Compare Ancient Greek δεύομαι (deúomai, “to lack”), Sanskrit दोष (dóṣa, “crime, fault, vice, deficiency”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontirenenm
  • Inherited-form mentiontȳrianang
  • Inherited-form mention*teuʀōngmw-pro · to cease
  • Derivation mention*dews-ine-pro · to fail, be behind, lag
  • Cognate mentionδεύομαιgrc · to lack
  • Cognate mentionदोषsa · crime, fault, vice, deficiency
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "enm:tiren",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *teuʀōn\nOld English tēorian\nMiddle English tiren\nEnglish tire\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"tēorian\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"tiren\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tire\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"tire\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "3": "tiren"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tiren"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tȳrian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tȳrian"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*teuʀōn",
        "t": "to cease"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dews-",
        "t": "to fail, be behind, lag"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "δεύομαι",
        "t": "to lack"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δεύομαι (deúomai, “to lack”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "दोष",
        "tr": "dóṣa",
        "t": "crime, fault, vice, deficiency"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit दोष (dóṣa, “crime, fault, vice, deficiency”)"
    },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*teuʀōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/teuʀōn"
    ],
    [
      "tēorian",
      "teorian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tiren",
      "tiren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tiren",
      "tiren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tirien",
      "tirien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "teorien",
      "teorien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tȳrian",
      "tyrian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tēorian",
      "teorian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*teuʀōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/teuʀōn"
    ],
    [
      "*dews-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dews-"
    ],
    [
      "δεύομαι",
      "δεύομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "दोष",
      "दोष#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
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        "To become sleepy or weary.",
        "To make sleepy or weary.",
        "To become bored or impatient (with).",
        "To bore."
      ],
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        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

US and Canada spelling of tyre: The rubber covering on a wheel. · US spelling of tyre: The metal rim of a wheel, especially that of a railroad locomotive. · A child's apron covering the upper part of the body, and tied with tape or cord; a pinafore. Also tier. · Accoutrements, accessories.

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

Probably from Middle English tir(e) (“equipment, furnshings, ornament”). See the details at tyre.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontirenm · equipment, furnshings, ornament

This page abbreviates 2 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.

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    }
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    ],
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  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Kashubian",
      "lang_code": "csb",
      "word": "tajra",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
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        "Canada"
      ]
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "US and Canada spelling of tyre: The rubber covering on a wheel.",
        "US spelling of tyre: The metal rim of a wheel, especially that of a railroad locomotive.",
        "A child's apron covering the upper part of the body, and tied with tape or cord; a pinafore. Also tier.",
        "Accoutrements, accessories."
      ],
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        "US",
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Source etymology 2 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To dress or adorn.

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

Probably from Middle English tir(e) (“equipment, furnshings, ornament”). See the details at tyre.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontirenm · equipment, furnshings, ornament
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To seize, pull, and tear prey, as a hawk does. · To seize, rend, or tear something as prey; to be fixed upon, or engaged with, anything.

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

From Middle English tire, from Old French tirer (“to draw or pull”), akin to English tear (“to rend”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontireenm
  • Derivation mentiontirerfro · to draw or pull
  • Cognate mentiontearen · to rend
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tirer",
        "t": "to draw or pull"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tirer (“to draw or pull”)"
    },
    {
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "tear",
        "t": "to rend"
      },
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    }
  ],
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        "To seize, pull, and tear prey, as a hawk does.",
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      ],
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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 tire →

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-dGlyZQ