Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “doorstop” come from?

doorstop (English) comes from English stop, from English top, from Middle English top, from Old English topp, from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

doorstop (English): Any device or object used to halt the motion of a...

Definitions

  1. Any device or object used to halt the motion of a...

Ancestry of “doorstop”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstopTo cease moving; To not continue; To cause to...
2EnglishtopThe highest or uppermost part of something; A...
3Middle EnglishtopThe summit or top of something, especially a...
4Old Englishtopp—
5Proto-West Germanic*topp—
6Proto-Germanictuppaztuft, plait; top, summit
7Proto-Indo-Europeandumb-tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →