Where does “stepwise” come from?
Stepwise derives from English step combined with the Middle English adverbial suffix -wis, tracing through Old English steppan and Proto-Germanic stapiz back to Proto-Indo-European stebʰ‑, meaning to step or tread.
stepwise (English): One step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal;...
Definitions
- One step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal;...
Ancestry of “stepwise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | step | An advance or movement made from one foot to the... |
| 2 | English | stepchild | The child of one's spouse but not one's own; A... |
| 3 | Middle English | stepchild | stepchild child of a spouse |
| 4 | Old English | stēopċild | stepchild |
| 5 | Old English | ċild | child, youth; fetus; female baby; child |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kelþaz | fetus; newborn; infant; child |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵelt- | womb |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |