Where does “cornerstone” come from?
Cornerstone derives from Middle English corner stoon, a compound of corner and stoon meaning stone.
cornerstone (English): A stone forming the base at the corner of a...
Definitions
- A stone forming the base at the corner of a...
Ancestry of “cornerstone”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | corner ston | A cornerstone; a keystone |
| 2 | Middle English | corner | A corner or angle; an intersection of two objects... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | cornere | — |
| 4 | Old French | corne | horn |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | corna | horn; nominative plural of cornum; accusative... |
| 6 | Latin | cornua | nominative plural of cornū; accusative plural of... |
| 7 | Latin | cornū | horn; antler |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱerh₂- | head, top; horn |