From Old English wīr, from PIE *weh₁i- 'to bend, twist' — wire was named for being twisted metal.
A thin, flexible strand of metal.
From Old English wīr 'wire, metal thread,' from Proto-Germanic *wīraz, probably from PIE *weh₁i- 'to bend, twist, plait.' Wire was originally made by hammering metal into thin strips, not by drawing it through dies — the drawing technique was a medieval invention. Key roots: *weh₁i- (Proto-Indo-European: "to bend, twist").