Where does “brownstone” come from?
Brownstone is a compound of brown and stone, with stone deriving from Middle English stone, Old English stān, and Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be firm.
brownstone (English): A variety of brown to red-brown sandstone once...
Definitions
- A variety of brown to red-brown sandstone once...
Ancestry of “brownstone”, step by step
brownstone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Stone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stone | for someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from |
| 2 | Middle English | ston | Alternative form of stone |
| 3 | Old English | stān | stone, rock |
| 4 | Old Norse | Veggr | name of a dwarf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wajjuz | wall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wh̥₁yús | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₁y- | to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,... |