'tenterhooks' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'tenter,' where 'tenter' referred to a frame used for drying cloth.

'tenter' changed from the Middle English word 'tenter' and eventually became the modern English word 'tenterhooks'.

Initially, it meant 'hooks used to fasten cloth on a tenter,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a state of suspense or anxiety'.