Where does “standstill” come from?
Standstill combines English stand and still, with stand deriving from Old English standan, Latin stilus, and Proto-Indo-European steh₂- meaning to stand or be firm.
standstill (English): complete immobility; halt
Definitions
- complete immobility; halt
Ancestry of “standstill”, step by step
standstill traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English stand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stand | "To position or be positioned physically."; "To... |
| 2 | English | op | An operation; An amateur radio operator; An... |
| 3 | English | op shop | A shop, usually operated by a charity, to which... |
| 4 | English | opportunity | A chance for advancement, progress or profit; A... |
| 5 | English | opportune | Suitable for some particular purpose; At a... |
| 6 | Middle French | opportunité | — |
| 7 | Latin | opportūnitās | convenience, fitness |
| 8 | Latin | opportūnus | suitable |
| 9 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English still
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | still | Not moving; calm; Not effervescing; not... |
| 2 | Old English | stillan | become calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | stillijan | to make still, quiet |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -jan | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |