Where does “flagstaff” come from?
Flagstaff is a compound of English flag and English staff, where staff derives from Old English stæf, Proto-Germanic stabaz, and Proto-Indo-European pel-, meaning to split or fold.
flagstaff (English): A pole on which a flag is raised
Definitions
- A pole on which a flag is raised
Ancestry of “flagstaff”, step by step
flagstaff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flag | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem,... |
| 2 | English | flack | To flutter; palpitate; To hang loosely; flag; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | flacken | to palpitate, flutter; to move to and fro,... |
| 4 | German | flackern | to flicker |
| 5 | Middle High German | vlackern | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | flakuraz | shaking, wavering |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plāg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelə- | to wander; to fill |
via English staff
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | staff | A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick,... |
| 2 | Middle English | staf | A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,... |
| 3 | Old English | stæf | staff; letter, written character |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | stab | staff; letter |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | stabaz | staff, stick |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | stebʰ- | to stand still; to harden |