Hmmm, I hate to admit this, especially after niafabo hailed me as an expert, but I had to get some help on this one. "Strength" has apparently come down to us through Middle (strengthe) and Old English (strengthu) and appears to be related to the Old High German word strengi for "strong". Miriam-Webster also suggests a possible link between strengi and the Latin verb stringere (to bind or draw tight), but I'm skeptical about this, so I'd go with Old High German.
next word: athletics
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