Suspender
/səˈspɛn.dər/noun
A strap or elastic band used to hold up clothing, or a device that suspends something.
Did you know?Suspender comes from Latin suspendere, “to hang up,” a word built from sub- (“up from below”) + pendere (“to hang”), the same ancient root behind a whole family of “hanging” words.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spend-
“to draw, stretch, or hang”
Latin
Latin
suspendere
“to hang up, suspend”
Late Latin
Latin
suspendere
“to hang up; delay”
Old French
Old French
suspender
“to suspend, hang up”
Middle English
English
suspender
“a thing that suspends or supports”
Modern English
English
suspender
“a strap or band for supporting clothing”