high strung etymology

Etymology:

  • High-strung is a compound word consisting of:
    • "High": Meaning "at a great height or intensity."
    • "Strung": Past participle of the verb "string," meaning "to equip (something) with a string or strings."

Meaning:

  • Nervous, tense, easily agitated, or excitable.

Origin:

  • The term "high-strung" originated in the mid-19th century.
  • It originally referred to horses that were highly nervous and had to be tightly reined in to prevent them from getting out of control.
  • The term was then extended to humans to describe individuals with similar temperaments.

Usage:

  • The term "high-strung" is often used to describe people who:
    • Are prone to anxiety or stress.
    • React strongly to stimuli.
    • Have difficulty relaxing or calming down.
    • May have trouble focusing or concentrating.

Examples:

  • "He's a high-strung individual who always seems on edge."
  • "The high-strung students in the class struggled to focus during the exam."
  • "The high-strung horse needed to be carefully handled by an experienced rider."

high strung relate terms

  • high

    Etymology The word high derives from the Middle English word hie which traces its ro

  • high

    Etymology The word high derives from the Middle English word hie which traces its ro

  • strung

    Etymology Old English strengen to stretch make taut Proto Germanic stragganaz d

  • string

    Etymology The word string comes from the Middle English word streng which itself com

  • high strung

    Etymology High strung is a compound word consisting of High Meaning at a great h

  • restive

    Etymology The word restive comes from the Latin word restare meaning to stand still

  • string

    Etymology The word string comes from the Middle English word streng which itself com

  • bent

    Etymology The word bent has Old English origins It comes from the Old English word be

  • file

    Etymology File originates from the Middle English word filen which itself derives fro

  • abacus

    Etymology The word abacus is derived from the Classical Latin abacus which in turn

  • sentence

    Etymology The word sentence comes from the Latin word sententia meaning opinion j

  • shindig

    Etymology Shindig is an alteration of the earlier word shenanigan which was first us

  • proportion

    Etymology From Old French proportion appropriate relation or measure from Latin pr

  • survey

    Etymology French survoir to look over oversee Meaning A method of gathering