Where does “breadstuff” come from?

breadstuff (English) comes from English bread, from Middle English bred, from Old English bred, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.

breadstuff (English): Any of the ingredients for making bread, especially as commodities in trade and especially the principal ones, namely, flour and meal or the grain with which to mill it (such as wheat, oats, rye, or any other cereal grain)

Definitions

  1. Any of the ingredients for making bread, especially as commodities in trade and especially the principal ones, namely, flour and meal or the grain with which to mill it (such as wheat, oats, rye, or any other cereal grain)

Ancestry of “breadstuff”, step by step

breadstuff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bread

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreadA foodstuff made by baking dough made from...
2Middle Englishbredbread, pastry; food, nourishment
3Old Englishbredsurface; plank, board; table, tablet
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

via English stuff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstuffMiscellaneous items or objects; personal...
2Romanianstufreed; thatch
3Old Frisianstīf
4Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
5Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no-Every word from Proto-Germanic -īnazEvery word from Old English -en