Where does “stuff” come from?

Stuff derives from Middle English stuffen, from Old French estoffer, from Frankish stopfōn, from Proto-Germanic stuppōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European stemb-.

stuff (English): Miscellaneous items or objects; personal...

Definitions

  1. Miscellaneous items or objects; personal...

Ancestry of “stuff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romanianstufreed; thatch
2Old Frisianstīf—
3Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
4Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós—

Words derived from “stuff”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European steypós →Every word from Proto-Germanic stīfaz →Every word from Old Frisian stīf →