'glove' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'glof', where the root referred to a covering for the hand.

'glove' changed from Old English 'glof' into Middle English forms such as 'gloue' or 'glove', and eventually became the modern English word 'glove'.

Initially, it meant 'a covering for the hand', and over time it has remained largely the same in meaning while expanding to cover many specialized types (e.g., surgical gloves, boxing gloves).