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Where does the word "glue" come from? It comes from Late Latin glus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "glue" come from? It comes from Late Latin glus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Glue’s story begins in Late Latin: glus meant “glue.” Related to 'gluten'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as glu. A sticky paste used to trap birds. It reached English by 1300s as glue. 'glue sniffing' dates from the 1960s. Today, glue means a sticky substance for joining things.
- Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient glus "glue", related to 'gluten'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval glu "birdlime, glue", a sticky paste used to trap birds.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s glue "adhesive", 'glue sniffing' dates from the 1960s.