Where does “step” come from?

Step comes from Middle English steppen, from Old English steppan, from Proto-Germanic stapiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ‑.

step (English): An advance or movement made from one foot to the...

Definitions

  1. An advance or movement made from one foot to the...

Ancestry of “step”, step by step

step traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English stepchild

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstepchildThe child of one's spouse but not one's own; A...
2Middle Englishstepchildstepchild child of a spouse
3Old Englishstēopċildstepchild
4Old Englishċildchild, youth; fetus; female baby; child
5Proto-Germanickelþazfetus; newborn; infant; child
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵelt-womb
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

via Middle English steppen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsteppenTo step; to place one's foot down; To step onto;...
2Old EnglishstæppanAlternative form of steppan
3Proto-West Germanic*stappjanto step, to tread

Words derived from “step”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵelt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kelþaz →