Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “standby” come from?

Standby is a compound of English stand and by, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to stand" and "near or beside."

standby (English): A state of readiness without immediate...

Definitions

  1. A state of readiness without immediate...

Ancestry of “standby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishstand byTo wait in expectation of some event; to make...
Every word from English stand by →