Where does “whipstaff” come from?
whipstaff (English) comes from English staff, from Middle English staf, from Old English stæf, from Proto-West Germanic stab, from Proto-Germanic stabaz, from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- — to stand still; to harden.
whipstaff (English): A bar, going through the poopdeck, attached...
Definitions
- A bar, going through the poopdeck, attached...
Ancestry of “whipstaff”, step by step
whipstaff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English staff
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | staff | A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick,... |
| 2 | Middle English | staf | A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,... |
| 3 | Old English | stæf | staff; letter, written character |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | stab | staff; letter |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | stabaz | staff, stick |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | stebʰ- | to stand still; to harden |