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strop

(strŏp)

1. A strap, especially a short rope whose ends are spliced together to make a ring.

2. A flexible strip of leather or canvas used for sharpening a razor.

tr.v. stropped, strop·ping, strops

To sharpen (a razor) on a strop.

[Middle English strope, band of leather, probably from Old English, thong for an oar, from Latin stroppus, twisted cord, from Greek strophos, from strephein, to turn; see streb(h)- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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