Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stifle” come from?

Stifle comes from Middle English stiflen, from Old Norse stífla, from Proto-Germanic stīfilaz, from Proto-Indo-European steip-.

stifle (English): A hind knee of various mammals, especially...

Definitions

  1. A hind knee of various mammals, especially...

Ancestry of “stifle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstiflen—
2Old Norsestíflato dam, choke, stop up; dam
3Proto-Germanicstīfilaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansteip-—

Words derived from “stifle”

  • stifler
  • stifleth
  • stiflest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steip- →