Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “standing” come from?

Standing comes from Middle English standen, from Old English standan, from Proto-Germanic standaną, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be stationary.

standing (English): present participle of stand; Erect, not cut down;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of stand; Erect, not cut down;...

Ancestry of “standing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstandynge—
2Old Englishstandende—
3Proto-Germanicstandandzstanding
4Proto-Germanicstandanąto stand
5Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “standing”

  • freestanding
  • upstanding
  • selfstanding
  • upstandingness
  • watchstanding
  • nonstanding
  • unstanding
  • offstanding
  • nonfreestanding
  • fullstanding
  • standing
  • standing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →