Where does “stripling” come from?
Stripling comes from Middle English stripling, formed from Middle English strip plus the diminutive suffix -ling, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -elo-.
stripling (English): A young man in the state of adolescence, or just...
Definitions
- A young man in the state of adolescence, or just...
Ancestry of “stripling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stripling | an adolescent, a youth ; a child |
| 2 | Middle English | strepen | to remove the clothes of, undress, strip; to peel... |
| 3 | Old English | strīepan | plunder |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | strēpōną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter(h₁)- | to be stiff; be rigid; exert |