Etymology Map
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Cinch

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a saddle girth; a certainty

Where does the word "cinch" come from? It comes from Latin cingula, passing through Spanish before entering English (1850s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
cingula
Latin · ancient
"girdle"
a girdle, from 'cingere', to gird
2
Stage 2 of 3
cincha
Spanish · medieval
"saddle girth"
a saddle girth
3
Stage 3 of 3
cinch
American English · 1850s
"girth; certainty"
from a tight girth, 'a cinch' came to mean a sure thing by the 1880s
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Read the full story

Cinch’s story begins in Latin: cingula meant “girdle.” A girdle, from 'cingere', to gird. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Spanish as cincha. A saddle girth. It reached English by 1850s as cinch. From a tight girth, 'a cinch' came to mean a sure thing by the 1880s. Today, cinch means a saddle girth; a certainty.