Where does “understaffed” come from?

Understaffed comes from English staff with the prefix under-, derived from Middle English under-, Old English under-, Proto-Germanic under, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér and h₁en.

understaffed (English): having an inadequate number of workers or...

Definitions

  1. having an inadequate number of workers or...

Ancestry of “understaffed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishunder-Beneath, under
2EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
3Middle Englishunderunder
4Old Englishunderunder, beneath
5Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →