Where does “stare” come from?
Stare derives from Middle English staren, from Old English stærian, from Proto-Germanic stiurijaną, which may be related to Proto-Indo-European sterh₁-, meaning to be stiff or rigid.
stare (English): To look fixedly; To influence in some way by...
Definitions
- To look fixedly; To influence in some way by...
Ancestry of “stare”, step by step
stare traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Polish stare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | stare | inflection of stary: ## neuter... |
| 2 | Polish | Stary | old |
| 3 | Old Polish | stary | old |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | starъ | old |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | staʔros | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂-ro- | large, big, thick; old |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |
via Middle English star
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | star | — |
| 2 | Old English | stær | starling; a stare; history |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *star | stiff |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | staraz | stiff |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tern- | starling |
via Ukrainian Старе́
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukrainian | Старе́ | The name of numerous settlements in Russia, including |