Hitch
/hɪtʃ/noun
To fasten, catch, or attach something; also, a temporary problem or obstacle.
Did you know?In early English, a hitch was literally a catch or hook-like fastening, and the same old Germanic root also survives in words for hooks and hooked things across related languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hikkōną
“to jerk, pull, or tug”
Old English
OE
hyccan
“to move with a jerk or catch”
Middle English
ME
hicchen
“to hook, catch, or fasten”
16th Century
English
hitch
“a catch, jerk, or fastening”
Modern English
English
hitch
“a temporary snag, obstacle, or fastening”
Explore more surprising origins