Stretcher
/ˈstrɛtʃər/noun
A frame or support used to carry a sick or injured person, or to stretch something into shape.
Did you know?The medical sense of *stretcher* is tied to the verb *stretch*, which ultimately goes back to an ancient Indo-European root meaning to draw taut or extend—one of those old roots that keeps reappearing in words about tension, strain, and force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*streig- / *strenk-
“A root family connected with stretching, drawing tight, or twisting”
Old English
OE
streċċan
“To stretch, extend, or draw out”
Middle English
ME
stretcher
“One who or that which stretches; also a frame for carrying or supporting”
14th Century
English
stretcher
“A device or frame for stretching material or supporting a load”
Modern English
English
stretcher
“A frame used to carry an injured person, or a support used in stretching or building”