Where does “smokestack” come from?
Smokestack comes from English smoke, from Middle English smoke, from Old English smoca, from Proto-Germanic smukô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)meug(h)-.
smokestack (English): A conduit or group of conduits atop a structure...
Definitions
- A conduit or group of conduits atop a structure...
Ancestry of “smokestack”, step by step
smokestack traces back through two 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 |