*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tread

From Middle English treden, from Old English tredan, from Proto-West Germanic *tredan, from Proto-Germanic *trudaną.

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 ↗
verb

To step or walk (on or across something); to trample. · To step or walk upon. · To proceed, to behave (in a certain manner). · To beat or press with the feet.

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

From Middle English treden, from Old English tredan, from Proto-West Germanic *tredan, from Proto-Germanic *trudaną.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 6 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": "treden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English treden"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tredan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tredan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*tredan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *tredan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*trudaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *trudaną"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "treden",
      "treden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tredan",
      "tredan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*tredan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tredan"
    ],
    [
      "*trudaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/trudaną"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To step or walk (on or across something); to trample.",
        "To step or walk upon.",
        "To proceed, to behave (in a certain manner).",
        "To beat or press with the feet."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive",
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "96e6ce54a19eebb8557a671a2304ffb3c737ece489dca2426ba03f703e92afde",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4c32f81af4b1c10adb892c09e3a20cdce35180198b0ce26048a3069606322336",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 35240
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 6,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A step taken with the foot. · A manner of stepping. · The sound made when someone or something is walking. · A way; a track or path.

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

From Middle English tred, from treden (“to tread”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontredenm

This page abbreviates 7 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": "tred"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tred"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tred",
      "tred#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "treden",
      "treden#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A step taken with the foot.",
        "A manner of stepping.",
        "The sound made when someone or something is walking.",
        "A way; a track or path."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "58f0c668feafba48f197ceb19717c87099d132f89481980fde4ed24224b4affc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4af778b2301d92b5042ff41101d88aebf19256679fa52becfd9568571f9854da",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 35241
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 7,
    "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 tread →

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-dHJlYWQ