Where does “stay” come from?

Stay derives from Middle English steyen, from Old English stæġ, from Proto-Germanic stagą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be firm.

stay (English): To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To...

Definitions

  1. To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To...

Ancestry of “stay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishstayA stay
2Old Frenchestayeprop, support
3Middle Dutchstaeyea prop, stay
4Middle Dutchstaede—
5Old Dutchstada site, place, location, standing
6Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
7Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
8Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “stay”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European stéh₂tis →Every word from Proto-Germanic stadiz →
stay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer