Why, our household wondered, are those things on cars and trucks and bicycles called tires?
The Oxford English Dictionary answered our question, or nearly did. It’s probably because the tire was originally regarded as “the ‘attire,’ ‘clothing,’ or ‘accoutrement’ of the wheel.” The first tires were, of course, metal rims. The OED definition of the modern tire begins on a startling, beautiful note: “an endless cushion of rubber, solid, hollow, or tubular.”
The dictionary would appreciate my adding that tires are also found tricycles, prams, wheelchairs, light horse vehicles, &c.
Friday, June 14, 2024
Word of the day: tire
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The OED entry on my iPad says perhaps it’s from tire as an older form of attire. Wikipedia says definitely it is from tire the old form of attire. I’d believe the iPad over Wikipedia.
All in all, though, if it was from the older, different word, “tire” why the spelling change to “tyre” when used for the wheel covering? The spelling that is still in use in the UK.
I admit it’s trickier than I realized. The etymology says “Probably the same word as tire n.1, the tire being originally (sense 1) the ‘attire’, ‘clothing’, or ‘accoutrement’ of the wheel.” The first part of that statement is about what’s probable, but the second part seems certain, or at least it seemed certain to me. Merriam-Webster and Etymonline also say the “attire” origin is probable. My mistake was zooming in on the second part of the statement, the part I wanted to borrow. So I’m going add a probably. Thanks for catching my mistake.
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