Where does “whetstone” come from?
Whetstone comes from Middle English whestone, from Old English hwetstān, from Proto-West Germanic hwattjastain and stain, ultimately from Proto-Germanic stainaz and Proto-Indo-European steh₂-.
whetstone (English): A sharpening stone; a hard stone or piece of...
Definitions
- A sharpening stone; a hard stone or piece of...
Ancestry of “whetstone”, step by step
whetstone traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Stone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stone | for someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from |
| 2 | Middle English | ston | Alternative form of stone |
| 3 | Old English | stān | stone, rock |
| 4 | Old Norse | Veggr | name of a dwarf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wajjuz | wall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wh̥₁yús | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₁y- | to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,... |
via English whet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whet | To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece... |
| 2 | Middle English | whetten | To sharpen; to make sharp, pointy or acute,... |
| 3 | Old English | hwettan | to sharpen; to incite, encourage |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwattjan | to sharpen, whet |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwatjaną | to sharpen; whet; to instigate; incite |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeh₁d- | to stab |
via Middle English whestone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | whestone | whetstone . Other purposes include; A stone... |
| 2 | Old English | hwetstān | sharpening stone, whetstone |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hwattjastain | whetstone |