Where does “staff” come from?
Staff comes from Middle English staf, Old English stæf, Proto-Germanic stabaz, and Proto-Indo-European stebʰ-, ultimately from a root meaning to support or make firm.
staff (English): A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick,...
Definitions
- A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick,...
Ancestry of “staff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | staf | A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,... |
| 2 | Old English | stæf | staff; letter, written character |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | stab | staff; letter |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | stabaz | staff, stick |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | stebʰ- | to stand still; to harden |
Words derived from “staff”