Necktie

Necktie

Noun · /ˈnek.taɪ/

Definition

A strip of cloth worn around the neck, typically under a shirt collar and tied in a knot at the throat; a tie; a cravat in more historical usage.

Origin

Compound of neck + tie. Tie from Old English tēag (band, rope, cord), related to tēon (to draw, pull). The necktie being a specific garment form with a documented history beginning in the 17th century — Croatian mercenary soldiers wearing linen scarves tied at the throat during the Thirty Years' War, noticed by French troops and adopted as fashion under the name cravate (from Croat/Croate, via French). The modern straight tie being a 19th and 20th century development from the cravat. Beau Brummell being the Regency dandy most associated with the elaborate neck cloth or cravat.