Where does “hearthstone” come from?
Hearthstone derives from Middle English hearthstone, combining hearth and stone, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be firm.
hearthstone (English): A flat stone used to form a hearth; The fireside,...
Definitions
- A flat stone used to form a hearth; The fireside,...
Ancestry of “hearthstone”, step by step
hearthstone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hearth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hearth | A brick, stone or cement floor to a fireplace or... |
| 2 | Middle English | herth | A hearth; a place where a fire is lighted; A... |
| 3 | Old English | heorþ | hearth |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | herþ | hearth, fireplace |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | herþaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kérh₃-to-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kerh₃- | to burn; to praise; to burn; fire, heat |
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,... |