Where does “freestone” come from?

Freestone comes from Middle English stone and Old English stān, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- meaning to stand or be firm.

freestone (English): Sedimentary rock: a type of stone that is...

Definitions

  1. Sedimentary rock: a type of stone that is...

Ancestry of “freestone”, step by step

freestone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Free

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFreeUnconstrained
2EnglishfallerOne who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,...
3English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
4Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
5Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
6Latin-ārefirst conjugation
7Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
8Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
11Chichewaiyehe, she

via English Stone

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishStonefor someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from
2Middle EnglishstonAlternative form of stone
3Old Englishstānstone, rock
4Old NorseVeggrname of a dwarf
5Proto-Germanicwajjuzwall
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwh̥₁yús
7Proto-Indo-Europeanweh₁y-to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,...
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from English -erEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti