glue (English)
Where does "glue" come from?
The word 'glue' traces its origins back to the Latin 'glūten,' which shared a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to stick' or 'to smear.' It traveled into English via the Old French 'glu' and the Middle English 'glew,' eventually displacing the original Old English terms for adhesives. Today, the term retains its historical essence, describing both physical bonding substances and the metaphorical forces that hold people together.
Full etymology tree
- glue (English), 'A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.'
- inherited glue (Middle English), 'alternative form of glew (“glue”)'
- borrowed glu (Old French)
- inherited glūs (Late Latin)
- derived glūten (Latin), 'glue'
- inherited *gloiten (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *glóh₁ytn̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *gleh₁y- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *glóh₁ytn̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *gloiten (Proto-Italic)
- derived glūten (Latin), 'glue'
- inherited glūs (Late Latin)
- borrowed glu (Old French)
- inherited glue (Middle English), 'alternative form of glew (“glue”)'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris