Stringe

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. An obsolete spelling of string, referring to a thin cord, line, or fibre used for tying or binding
2. A rare archaic form of string, meaning a slender length of twisted fibre, cord, or thread
3. Old spelling for a cord or line of twisted thread, used in earlier English for tying things together

Etymology: The spelling "stringe" with its final "e" is a Middle English form of the verb "string," which in that period could mean to fasten or bind with a cord. Its root is the Old English noun "streng," meaning cord, rope, or thread. That noun is related to "strang," meaning strong, so the core idea behind the family is tightness and tension. A cord is something drawn taut and made firm, and the verb grew out of that physical sense. The Middle English verb was largely absorbed into the modern "string," and the final "e" has since dropped out of standard use. The exact dates and the precise sense shifts within the verb's early records are uncertain to me, so treat the fine chronology as provisional.