Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stubby” come from?

Stubby comes from English stub with the Middle English suffix -y, which derives from Middle French -ie, itself from Latin -ia and -ivus formations ultimately rooted in Proto-Indo-European -kos.

stubby (English): Abounding with stubs; Like a stub; short,...

Definitions

  1. Abounding with stubs; Like a stub; short,...

Ancestry of “stubby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstubSomething blunted, stunted, or cut short, such as...
2Middle Englishstubbetree stump; pointed stick, stake, thorn, stub,...
3Old Englishstybbstump of a tree; stub
4Old EnglishstubbAlternative form of stybb; tree stump
5Old Norsestubbra tree stump
6Proto-Germanicstubbazstump; stub
7Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit

Words derived from “stubby”

  • stubbiness
  • stubbily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- →