Glue
/ɡluː/noun
A sticky substance used to bind things together.
Did you know?The word glue comes from a Germanic root related to sticking and clinging, and its deeper cousins include words for the same action of fastening that survived across several Indo-European branches.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gley-
“to be sticky, gluey, or to adhere”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klijanan
“to stick, become sticky”
Old English
OE
glēaw?
“No direct Old English ancestor is securely attested for the modern noun; the later word was borrowed”
Middle English
English
glew
“glue, a sticky adhesive”
16th Century
English
glue
“a sticky substance used for fastening”
Modern English
English
glue
“a sticky substance used to bind things together”