Where does “stead” come from?

Stead comes from Middle English sted, from Old English stede, from Proto-Germanic stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be placed.

stead (English): A place, or spot, in general; A place where a...

Definitions

  1. A place, or spot, in general; A place where a...

Ancestry of “stead”, step by step

stead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English sted

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsteda place, spot, locality; a position or place...
2Old Englishstedeplace
3Proto-West Germanicstadiplace
4Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
6Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

via English steady

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsteadyFirm in standing or position; not tottering or...
2Old Englishstæþþiġ—
3Old Englishstæþstead, bank; bank, shore
4Proto-Germanicstaþaz—

Words derived from “stead”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →