Where does “stopgap” come from?
Stopgap comes from English stop and English gap, where stop derives from Old English stoppian, from Proto-Germanic stuppōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- meaning to push or thrust.
stopgap (English): Filling a gap or pause; Temporary; short-term;...
Definitions
- Filling a gap or pause; Temporary; short-term;...
Ancestry of “stopgap”, step by step
stopgap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English stop
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stop | To cease moving; To not continue; To cause to... |
| 2 | English | top | The highest or uppermost part of something; A... |
| 3 | Middle English | top | The summit or top of something, especially a... |
| 4 | Old English | topp | top, summit (of something) |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *topp | top, summit, crest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tuppaz | tuft, plait; top, summit |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dumb- | tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,... |
via English gap
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gap | An opening in anything made by breaking or... |
| 2 | English | gape | To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily,... |
| 3 | Middle English | gapen | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | gapa | to gape, open the mouth wide |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gapōną | to gaze, observe |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁y- | to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰih₁- | — |