Where does “knobstick” come from?

knobstick (English) comes from English stick, from Middle English stikke, from Old English sticca, from Proto-West Germanic *stikkō — stick, pole.

knobstick (English): A stick with a rounded knob at the end; One who...

Definitions

  1. A stick with a rounded knob at the end; One who...

Ancestry of “knobstick”, step by step

knobstick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English stick

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstickAn elongated piece of wood or similar material,...
2Middle Englishstikketwig, branch; kindling, twigs used as a...
3Old Englishsticcastick
4Proto-West Germanic*stikkōstick, pole

via English knob

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknobA rounded protuberance, especially one arising...
2Middle Englishknobbeknob; lump, bump
3Middle Low Germanknobbelump, knot; knob; knot in wood
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *stikkōEvery word from Old English sticcaEvery word from Middle English stikke