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Origin and history of suspenders

suspenders(n.)

"straps for holding up trousers, etc.," 1806, American English, plural of suspender "one who or that which causes to hang by support from above" (1520s, originally "one who puts a stop to"), agent noun from suspend (v.).

Anatomy, botany, etc. tend to use suspensor (1746) for "that from which something is suspended," from a Medieval Latin agent noun from the Latin verb; they also take the word in Latin form suspensorium; see suspensory.

also from 1806

Entries linking to suspenders

suspend(v.)

c. 1300, suspenden, "bar or exclude temporarily from some function or privilege;" also "set aside (a law, etc.)" and in a general sense of "cause to cease for a time," from Old French sospendre "remove from office; hang up" (12c.), or directly from Latin suspendere "hang up, kill by hanging; make uncertain, render doubtful; stay, stop, interrupt, set aside temporarily." This is from assimilated form of sub "up from under" (see sub-) + pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh" (from PIE root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin").

In English, the literal, transitive sense of "cause to hang by a support from above" is recorded from mid-15c. The sense of "hold undetermined, refrain from concluding" (of judgments, etc.) is by 1550s. The intransitive meaning "cease from operation for a time, stop" (payments, work, etc.) is from 1570s. Related: Suspended; suspending.

suspensory(adj.)

early 15c. (Chauliac), suspensorie, "adapted or serving to support a dependent part or organ," from Medieval Latin suspensorius, from suspensor, agent noun from Latin suspendere "hang, cause to hang" (see suspend). Also as a noun in reference to a type of sling (early 15c.), later also "a suspensory ligament."

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    brace
    early 14c., "piece of armor for the arms," also "thong, strap for fastening," from Old French brace "arms," also "length measured by two arms" (12c., Modern French bras "arm, power;" brasse "fathom, armful, breaststroke"), from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium "an arm, a forea
    strap
    1610s, "narrow band of leather," from a Scottish and/or nautical variant of strope "loop or strap on a harness" (mid-14c.), which is probably from Old French estrop "strap," from Latin stroppus "strap, band," ultimately (perhaps via Etruscan) from Greek strophos "twisted band; a
    will
    Old English *willan, wyllan "to wish, desire; be willing; be used to; be about to" (past tense wolde), from Proto-Germanic *willjan (source also of Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old Frisian willa, Dutch willen, Old High German wellan, German wollen, Gothic wiljan "to will,
    dub
    "give a name to," originally "make a knight," from late Old English dubbian "knight by ceremonially striking with a sword" (11c.), a word perhaps borrowed from Old French aduber "equip with arms, adorn" (11c.) which is of uncertain origin, probably Germanic, but there are phoneti
    tablet
    c. 1300, "small, portable slab of durable material, often covered in wax in which writing was incised; flat surface for an inscription" (originally especially the two Mosaic tables of stone), from Old French tablete "small table, merchant's display counter" (13c., Modern French t
    organization
    early 15c., organisacioun, "structure of the body or its parts;" mid-15c., "act or process of organizing, the arranging of parts in an organic whole" from Medieval Latin organizationem (nominative organizatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of organizare, from Latin or
    obliterate
    "blot out, cause to disappear, remove all traces of, wipe out," c. 1600, from Latin obliteratus, past participle of obliterare "cause to disappear, blot out (a writing), erase, efface," figuratively "cause to be forgotten, blot out a remembrance," from ob "against" (see ob-) + li
    disciple
    Old English discipul (fem. discipula), "one who follows another for the purpose of learning," especially "the personal followers of Jesus Christ during his life, the twelve Apostles chosen or called by him to be his immediate associates," a Biblical borrowing from Latin discipulu
    continent
    late 14c., "self-restraining, temperate, abstemious," especially "abstaining from or moderate in sexual intercourse," from Old French continent and directly from Latin continentem (nominative continens) "holding together, continuous," present participle of continere "to hold back
    grim
    Old English grimm "fierce, cruel, savage; severe, dire, painful," from Proto-Germanic *grimma- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German, German grimm "grim, angry, fierce," Old Norse grimmr "stern, horrible, dire," Swedish grym "fierce, furious"), from PIE *ghremno

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