Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stubborn” come from?

Stubborn comes from Middle English stoburn, of unknown origin and ultimate etymology.

stubborn (English): Refusing to move or to change one's opinion;...

Definitions

  1. Refusing to move or to change one's opinion;...

Ancestry of “stubborn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstibornestubborn, refractory, unruly; hard to deal with...

Words derived from “stubborn”

  • stubbornly
  • stubbornness
  • outstubborn
  • unstubborn
Every word from Middle English stiborne →