Where does “grindstone” come from?
Grindstone comes from Middle English grind-ston, a compound of grind and ston meaning a stone used for grinding.
grindstone (English): An abrasive wheel for sharpening, polishing or...
Definitions
- An abrasive wheel for sharpening, polishing or...
Ancestry of “grindstone”, step by step
grindstone traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Stone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stone | for someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from |
| 2 | Middle English | ston | Alternative form of stone |
| 3 | Old English | stān | stone, rock |
| 4 | Old Norse | Veggr | name of a dwarf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wajjuz | wall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wh̥₁yús | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₁y- | to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,... |
via English grind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grind | To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with... |
| 2 | Faroese | grind | A framework; A grille; A school of grindahvalur |
| 3 | Old Norse | grind | a gate made of spars or bars; haven, dock;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grindiz | fence |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrendʰ‑ | bar, beam |
via Middle English grind-ston
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | grind-ston | — |