Where does “stagger” come from?
Stagger comes from Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra, meaning to push or thrust.
stagger (English): An unsteady movement of the body in walking or...
Definitions
- An unsteady movement of the body in walking or...
Ancestry of “stagger”, step by step
stagger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English stag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | stag | An adult male deer; A colt, or filly; A romping... |
| 2 | Middle English | stagge | An adult male deer; A colt or filly; A male... |
| 3 | Old English | stacga | stag |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | staggijô | stag |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | stegʰ- | to be stiff, sting; rod, blade; to stick, sting,... |
via Middle English stakeren
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stakeren | To stagger; to walk unsteadily or erratically |
| 2 | Old Norse | stakra | to push, stagger |
Words derived from “stagger”