Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unsting” come from?

unsting (English) comes from English sting, from Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic stinganą, from Proto-Indo-European ste(n)gʰ- — to stick.

unsting (English): To disarm of a sting; to remove the sting of

Definitions

  1. To disarm of a sting; to remove the sting of

Ancestry of “unsting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstingA bump left on the skin after having been stung;...
2Middle EnglishstingenTo impale or gore with a piercing instrument; To...
3Old Englishstinganto stab; to sting
4Proto-Germanicstinganąto stick out; protrude; to sting
5Proto-Indo-Europeanste(n)gʰ-to stick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ste(n)gʰ- →