Where does “tristich” come from?
tristich (English) comes from English stich, from German stich, from Middle High German stich, from Old High German stih, from Proto-West Germanic stiki, from Proto-Germanic stikiz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)teyg- — to be sharp; to sting.
tristich (English): A tercet
Ancestry of “tristich”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | stich | A verse, of whatever measure or number of feet,... |
| 2 | German | stich | singular imperative of stechen |
| 3 | Middle High German | stich | — |
| 4 | Old High German | stih | prick, sting, stitch |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | stiki | prick, puncture |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | stikiz | a sticking, prick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teyg- | to be sharp; to sting |