Where does “doorstep” come from?
Doorstep comes from English door and Middle English steppen, from Old English steppan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰwer- meaning threshold or opening.
doorstep (English): An outside step leading up to the door of a...
Definitions
- An outside step leading up to the door of a...
Ancestry of “doorstep”, step by step
doorstep traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | step | An advance or movement made from one foot to the... |
| 2 | English | stepchild | The child of one's spouse but not one's own; A... |
| 3 | Middle English | stepchild | stepchild child of a spouse |
| 4 | Old English | stēopċild | stepchild |
| 5 | Old English | ċild | child, youth; fetus; female baby; child |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kelþaz | fetus; newborn; infant; child |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵelt- | womb |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |