Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stun” come from?

Stun comes from Middle English stunien, from Old English stunian, from Proto-Germanic stunōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ten- or (s)tona-, meaning to make a loud noise or resound.

stun (English): To incapacitate; especially by inducing...

Definitions

  1. To incapacitate; especially by inducing...

Ancestry of “stun”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishstonenComposed or built of stone; To throw stones; To...
2Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
3Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
4Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
5Proto-Norse-īna-—
6Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
7Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
8Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “stun”

  • stunner
  • stunpoll
  • stun grenade
  • stunnable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →