Thong

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /θɒŋ/

Definitions

1. A form of undergarment designed with minimal coverage in the rear area
2. An undergarment that provides minimal coverage over the buttocks ; a narrow strip of material used for binding or striking ; a type of open shoe secured by a strap between the toes
3. A garment worn beneath clothing with very little fabric in the back ; a thin band often used as a whip or binding ; a footwear style characterized by a toe-separating strap

Etymology: The most striking thing about this word is how far it has travelled from its original sense. Old English "þwong" and "þwang" meant a cord, band, or strap, often of leather, and it could even refer to a phylactery, the small leather-bound box of scripture worn in prayer. The root idea is pressure: the Proto-Germanic ancestor meant something that constrains or clamps, and the same root gave German "Zwinge" (a vise or clamp) and Icelandic "þvengur" (a strap or latchet). A thong was, at its heart, something that holds things tight. The garment sense is a much later extension. A strip of material that binds or stays fastened led naturally to the narrow strap of a sandal passing between the toes, and from there to the scanty undergarment, where the idea of a thin strip covering little is preserved. The word thus moved from a restraining band to a sandal strap to a garment that barely restrains anything at all.

Synonyms: strap, band, string