Where does “haystack” come from?
Haystack comes from Middle English haystak, a compound of hay and stak meaning a pile for storing dried grass.
haystack (English): A mound, pile, or stack of stored hay; A standing...
Definitions
- A mound, pile, or stack of stored hay; A standing...
Ancestry of “haystack”, step by step
haystack traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English stack
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stack | "A pile."; A smokestack; "In computing." |
| 2 | Dutch | stapel | pile; basis, foundation, pedestal; stockpile,... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | stapel | pillar; foundation; market; warehouse; market |
| 4 | Old Dutch | stapal | — |
| 5 | Old Swedish | stapul | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | stapulaz | pillar, post; basis, foundation |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stebʰ‑ | to stand still |
via English hay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hay | Grass cut and dried for use as animal fodder; Any... |
| 2 | Middle English | hay | Alternative form of haye; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | hē | hey |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hiʀ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hīz | nominative plural masculine of *hiz; these, these... |
via Middle English haystak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | haystak | — |