Where does “staid” come from?
Staid comes from English stay, which derives from Middle English steyen, Old English stæġ, Proto-Germanic stagą, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be firm.
staid (English): Not capricious or impulsive; sedate, serious,...
Definitions
- Not capricious or impulsive; sedate, serious,...
Ancestry of “staid”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stayed | simple past tense and past participle of stay |
| 2 | English | stay | To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | stay | A stay |
| 4 | Old French | estaye | prop, support |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | staeye | a prop, stay |
| 6 | Middle Dutch | staede | — |
| 7 | Old Dutch | stad | a site, place, location, standing |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |