“布料中不同颜色的线或带”,15世纪早期,来自中荷兰语或中低德语 stripe “条纹, streak”,源自原始日耳曼语 *stripan(丹麦语 stribe “条纹织物”,德语 Streifen “条纹”也来源于此)。这些被认为来自一个原始印欧语根 *strig- “擦,摩擦,压”(参见 strigil),也源自古爱尔兰语 sriab “条纹”。
1827年起用于指军服上的人字形、徽章等。比喻用法“特定类型或特征”(尤其是 of a different stripe)是美式英语,基于“独特颜色”的概念。1847年在J.K. Paluding对美国“西部”方言的描绘中得到证实:
HODG. Mr. Bragg, the state of society in your country is even more disorganized than I had supposed.
PHIL. Yes sir-r-r, it can't be beat, as you say. Most people in furrin parts have very kind of amphibious idees of our diggins. You don't know what a glorious place it is out West. It is of an entire different stripe from your foggy England, where you have to drink port, and ale, and beer and sich like onnateral tipple It's another kind of streak, sir-r-r.
["Madmen All, or The Cure of Love"]
该短语之前用于织物描述。 Stripes 意为“监狱制服”始于1887年,美式英语。