thread

B2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /θɹɛd/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like tread /θ/ vs /t/

Freq #6319

Meanings

1

noun
A thin strand of cotton, silk, or other material used for sewing.

She sewed the button back on with a needle and thread.
2

verb
To pass thread or something thin through a narrow opening.

It can be hard to thread a needle in poor light.
3

noun
The connected line of ideas or events that runs through a story or conversation.

I'm sorry, I've lost the thread of what you were saying.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a thin strand of cotton,... string

Word family

Forms threadedthreadingthreads

Derived forms cross-threadhyperthreadedmultithreadedthread-paperthread-safethreadbarethreadedthreaderthreadsafethready

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

screw thread
the spiral raised ridge around a screw

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

hang by a thread
to remain so precarious that collapse or failure could happen at any moment

Simplified etymology

Thread is an Old English word of Germanic origin, distantly related to throw.

Etymology

From Middle English thred, þred, threed, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz, from Proto-Indo-European *treh₁-tu-s, from *terh₁- (“rub, twist”). Cognates Cognate with Yola dreade (“thread”), Saterland Frisian Träid (“thread, wire”), Cimbrian draat (“string, thread”), Dutch draad (“thread, wire”), German Draht (“thread, wire”), Luxembourgish Drot (“wire”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish tråd (“thread, wire”), Faroese tráður (“thread”), Icelandic þráður (“thread”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian dredh (“twist, turn”). More at throw.

*terh₁- Proto-Indo-European thred Middle English þrǣd Old English *þrēduz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# thread

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /θɹɛd/
**Frequency rank:** 6319

## Meanings
1. A thin strand of cotton, silk, or other material used for sewing.
2. To pass thread or something thin through a narrow opening.
3. The connected line of ideas or events that runs through a story or conversation.

## Examples
- She sewed the button back on with a needle and thread.
- It can be hard to thread a needle in poor light.
- I'm sorry, I've lost the thread of what you were saying.

## Derived Forms
- cross-thread
- hyperthreaded
- multithreaded
- thread-paper
- thread-safe
- threadbare
- threaded
- threader
- threadsafe
- thready

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *terh₁-
- Root: thred
- Root: þrǣd
- Root: *þrēduz

## Etymology
From Middle English thred, þred, threed, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz, from Proto-Indo-European *treh₁-tu-s, from *terh₁- (“rub, twist”). Cognates Cognate with Yola dreade (“thread”), Saterland Frisian Träid (“thread, wire”), Cimbrian draat (“string, thread”), Dutch draad (“thread, wire”), German Draht (“thread, wire”), Luxembourgish Drot (“wire”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish tråd (“thread, wire”), Faroese tráður (“thread”), Icelandic þráður (“thread”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian dredh (“twist, turn”). More at throw.

## AI Etymology
Thread is from Middle English thred, þred, threed, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz, from Proto-Indo-European *treh₁-tu-s, from *terh₁- (“rub, twist”). Cognate with Yola dreade (“thread”), Saterland Frisian Träid (“thread, wire”), Cimbrian draat (“string, thread”), Dutch draad (“thread, wire”), German Draht (“thread, wire”), Luxembourgish Drot (“wire”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish tråd (“thread, wire”), Faroese tráður (“thread”), Icelandic þráður (“thread”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian dredh (“twist, turn”). More at throw.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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