Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stir” come from?

Stir comes from Middle English stiren, from Old English styrian, from Proto-Germanic sturjaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)twer-, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European stísteh₂ti.

stir (English): To incite to action; To disturb the relative...

Definitions

  1. To incite to action; To disturb the relative...

Ancestry of “stir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romanistaribenprison
2Sanskritआतिष्ठतिstand or remain by
3Sanskritतिष्ठतिto stand, stand firmly, station oneself, stand...
4Proto-Indo-Aryan(s)tíṣṭaHti—
5Proto-Indo-IranianstíštaHti—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstísteh₂tito be standing up, to be getting up
7Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand

Words derived from “stir”

  • astir
  • stirrer
  • stirreth
  • stirabout
  • stirless
  • stirrest
  • upstir
  • overstir
  • stirrage
  • stirrable
  • shit-stirrer
  • stir-crazy
  • multistirrer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →