Tide
/taɪd/noun
The regular rise and fall of sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun; also, a current or time of season, especially in older usage.
Did you know?Old English had tide meaning “time” or “appointed season,” and that same ancient root also lives in words like “time” and “tide,” both tracing back to the idea of a measured return.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*da-
“To divide or cut off, giving rise to the idea of a portion of time or an allotted period.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tīdiz
“A time, season, or fixed point in time.”
Old English
English
tīd
“A time, season, or occurrence; later also used for the rising and falling of the sea.”
Middle English
English
tide
“A time or season, and increasingly the periodic movement of the sea.”
Modern English
English
tide
“The periodic rise and fall of the sea level; also used in phrases like "high tide" and "low tide".”