Thatch

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /θæt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. A roofing material made from dry vegetation such as straw, reed, or palm branches ; to build or cover a roof using dry plant material like straw or reeds
2. A layer of tightly bound natural fibers forming a roof ; to construct or repair a roof by layering straw or similar plants
3. A covering for a roof made with dried stalks or leaves ; to apply dried vegetation on a roof to protect it from weather

Etymology: Thatch is one of the few English roofing words that is also a verb built on the same root as its noun. The noun came into English from Old English "þæc," meaning "roof-covering," which goes back to a Germanic word for "covering." The verb grew from a separate Old English form, "þeċċan," meaning "to cover," and both trace back to a common ancestor. The two words were once spelled differently, which shows in the older form "thack," still used in dialect. The deeper story is that this root also reached the Mediterranean. It is related to ancient Greek "stégē" and "tégos," both meaning "roof," and to Latin "toga," the garment, which is linked to the idea of covering the body. That makes the English word a distant cousin of words for shelter and cloth in languages thousands of years apart. A notable detail is that the verb's vowel shifted away from the noun's, probably under the influence of the noun, so the two forms now look more different than their shared origin would suggest.

Synonyms: roofing, covering, shingle, straw, reed