Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “footstool” come from?

Footstool derives from English foot combined with stool, with foot tracing to Latin stolo, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pṓds meaning foot.

footstool (English): A low stool for supporting the feet while seated;...

Definitions

  1. A low stool for supporting the feet while seated;...

Ancestry of “footstool”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfootA biological structure found in many animals that...
2Middle Englishfotfoot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of...
3Old Englishfōtfoot
4Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
5Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpóds—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →