Where does “stowaway” come from?
Stowaway comes from English stow away, combining stow from Proto-Germanic stōwō meaning "place" and away from Old English onweġ, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- meaning "to stand."
stowaway (English): A person who hides on board a ship, train, etc....
Definitions
- A person who hides on board a ship, train, etc....
Ancestry of “stowaway”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stow away | to stow or secure aloof in a safe place; to... |
| 2 | English | stow | A place, stead; To put something away in a... |
| 3 | Middle English | stowe | place |
| 4 | Old English | stōw | place, locality, site; place, location; a place,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *stōu | a place |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *stōō | a place, location, site |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂w- | to set, place |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |