Where does “stiffleg” come from?

stiffleg (English) comes from English stiff, from Middle English stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic stīf, from Proto-Germanic stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European steypós.

stiffleg (English): Any of the two or more stiff members, capable of resisting either tensile or compressive forces, that are used to secure the top of a mast in some types of derrick

Definitions

  1. Any of the two or more stiff members, capable of resisting either tensile or compressive forces, that are used to secure the top of a mast in some types of derrick

Ancestry of “stiffleg”, step by step

stiffleg traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English stiff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstiffRigid; hard to bend; inflexible; Inflexible;...
2Middle EnglishstifStiff, firm, hard; difficult to move or...
3Old EnglishstīfStiff, firm, hard
4Proto-West Germanicstīfstiff, rigid
5Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
6Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós—

via English leg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlegA limb or appendage that an animal uses for...
2Middle Englishlegleg, limb; shank, shin; leg
3Old Norseleggrleg, stem
4Proto-Germaniclagjazleg, thigh
5Proto-Indo-European(ǝ)lak-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steypós →Every word from Proto-Germanic stīfaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stīf →