Where does “foodstuff” come from?

Foodstuff derives from English food and English stuff, where food comes from Middle English fode, Old English fōda, Proto-Germanic fōdô, and Proto-Indo-European pat-.

foodstuff (English): A material that may be used as food

Definitions

  1. A material that may be used as food

Ancestry of “foodstuff”, step by step

foodstuff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English stuff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstuffMiscellaneous items or objects; personal...
2Romanianstufreed; thatch
3Old Frisianstīf—
4Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
5Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós—

via English food

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfoodAny solid substance that can be consumed by...
2Middle Englishfodefood, nourishment; manna; holy nourishment
3Old Englishfōdafood
4Proto-Germanicfōdôfood, nourishment
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpat-to feed; path; to go

Words derived from “foodstuff”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European steypós →