Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stairway” come from?

Stairway comes from English way and away, from Old English weġ, from Proto-Germanic wēgō, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-, meaning to move or convey.

stairway (English): A set of steps, with or without a case, that...

Definitions

  1. A set of steps, with or without a case, that...

Ancestry of “stairway”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWay—
2Middle Englishway—
3Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
4Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
5Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →