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Today it means

bandage

a strip of material for binding a wound

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Where does the word "bandage" come from? It comes from Frankish binda, passing through French before entering English (1590s).

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Where does the word "bandage" come from? It comes from Frankish binda, passing through French before entering English (1590s).

Bandage’s story begins in Frankish: binda meant “band, strip.” A Germanic word related to 'bind'. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as bande. 'bande' plus the suffix -age. It reached English by 1590s as bandage. 'Band-Aid' dates from 1920. Today, bandage means a strip of material for binding a wound.

  1. Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient binda "band, strip", a Germanic word related to 'bind'.
  2. Stage 2 · French · 1500s bande "strip", 'bande' plus the suffix -age.
  3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s bandage "strip of cloth", 'Band-Aid' dates from 1920.

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