tyre

tyre
\ \ [15] The word tyre was originally used for a protective covering of metal plates put round the rim of a wooden wheel. It is thought that it was short for attire [13] (a borrowing from Old French, but ultimately of unknown origin), the notion being of ‘attiring’ the wheels in their covering. At first the word was spelled tire or tyre indiscriminately. By the 18th century tire had become the standard form, and it remains so in American English, but when rubber wheel cushions were introduced in the 19th century, British English took to spelling them tyre.
\ \ Cf.ATTIRE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Tyre — Tyre, v. i. To prey. See 4th {Tire}. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • tyre — (US tire) ► NOUN 1) a rubber covering, typically inflated or surrounding an inflated inner tube, placed round a wheel to form a soft contact with the road. 2) a strengthening band of metal fitted around the rim of a wheel, especially of a railway …   English terms dictionary

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