Pledget
/ˈplɛdʒɪt/noun
A small mass of absorbent material used in medicine to apply or absorb fluid.
Did you know?Pledget is not a mystical word itself, but it shares ancestry with *pledge*, ultimately from Old French *pleige*, a term for a surety or guarantee—proof that some of our most ordinary words were once about binding your fate.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
pledget
“A small tuft or pad of soft material, especially for medical use.”
Old French
OF
pleige
“A surety, guarantor, or pledge given as security.”
Late Latin
LL
plegium
“A surety, pledge, or security.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*plegjaną
“To pledge, engage, or take responsibility (traditional etymological connection behind the pledge-word family).”
Modern English
English
pledget
“A small absorbent pad used in medicine.”