“布料中不同颜色的线条或带子”,15世纪早期,来自中荷兰语或中低德语 stripe “条纹,条带”,源自原始日耳曼语 *stripan(也源自丹麦语 stribe “条纹织物”,德语 Streifen “条纹”)。这些词据说来自一个原始印欧词根 *strig- “擦,摩擦,压”(参见 strigil),也源自古爱尔兰语 sriab “条纹”。
1827年起用于指军装上的肩章、徽章等。比喻用法“特定种类或特性”(特别是指 of a different stripe)是美式英语,基于“独特颜色”的概念。1847年在J.K. Paluding对美式“西部”方言的描述中有记载:
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"]
该短语之前用于描述织物。Stripes 意为“监狱制服”始于1887年,美式英语。