Where does “forestay” come from?

forestay (English) comes from English stay, from Middle English stay, from Old French estaye, from Middle Dutch staeye, from Middle Dutch staede, from Old Dutch stad, from Proto-Germanic stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European stéh₂tis.

forestay (English): A stay that extends from the top of the foremast...

Definitions

  1. A stay that extends from the top of the foremast...

Ancestry of “forestay”, step by step

forestay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English stay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstayTo prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To...
2Middle EnglishstayA stay
3Old Frenchestayeprop, support
4Middle Dutchstaeyea prop, stay
5Middle Dutchstaede
6Old Dutchstada site, place, location, standing
7Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
8Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
9Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-

via Middle English forstay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishforstay

Words derived from “forestay

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-
forestay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer