Where does “stiff” come from?
Stiff comes from Middle English stif, from Proto-Germanic stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European steyp-, a root of uncertain ultimate meaning.
stiff (English): Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible; Inflexible;...
Definitions
- Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible; Inflexible;...
Ancestry of “stiff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stif | Stiff, firm, hard; difficult to move or... |
| 2 | Old English | stīf | Stiff, firm, hard |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | stīf | stiff, rigid |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | stīfaz | stiff, rigid |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | steypós | — |
Words derived from “stiff”