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hurdle

Etymology and origin of the English word hurdle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhɜːdl̩/ (UK); /ˈhɝd(ə)l/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English hurdel, inherited from Old English hyrdel (“frame of intertwined twigs”),[2][3][4][5][6] a diminutive related to Proto-Germanic *hurdiz “wickerwork frame”,[3][4] and to German Hürde and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳𐍃 (haurds, “door”).[3][4][6] It goes back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to weave”, which also gave Latin crātis (“wickerwork, hurdle”).[4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A portable frame of interwoven twigs used as a temporary fence (c. 725).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Hurdles were used in farming for temporary pens and fences.[4] A hurdle was also the frame or sledge on which traitors were dragged to execution (1412–20), a part of the legal sentence until 1870.[7][4] The sense “barrier to be jumped in a race” dates from 1822–33,[4][7][3] and hurdles as a type of race by 1836.[4] The figurative sense “obstacle, difficulty” is from 1924.[7][3][4] The verb “to jump over a hurdle” dates from 1880–96.[4][7][3][5]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – a wattled frame.[7][3]
  • 1412–20 – a sledge for dragging traitors to execution.[7]
  • 1598 – verb, to construct like a hurdle.[7][3]
  • 1822 – a barrier in a race.[4]
  • 1896 – verb, to jump over.[7][3][5]
  • 1924 – an obstacle, difficulty.[7][3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A light portable barrier that runners or horses must jump over in certain races; also, hurdles, such a race.
  2. An obstacle or difficulty to be overcome.
  3. A portable panel of woven branches or wattle used as temporary fencing.
  4. (historical) A frame or sledge on which condemned people were dragged to execution.

Verb

  1. To jump over (a barrier), especially while running.
  2. To overcome or surmount (a difficulty).

Word family

  • hurdler
  • wattle
  • crate
  • obstacle

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Hurdle.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hurdle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·