Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “whistlestop” come from?

whistlestop (English) comes from English stop, from English top, from Middle English top, from Old English topp, from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

whistlestop (English): A minor railway station at which a train stops if...

Definitions

  1. A minor railway station at which a train stops if...

Ancestry of “whistlestop”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstopTo cease moving; To not continue; To cause to...
2EnglishtopThe highest or uppermost part of something; A...
3Middle EnglishtopThe summit or top of something, especially a...
4Old Englishtopp—
5Proto-West Germanic*topp—
6Proto-Germanictuppaztuft, plait; top, summit
7Proto-Indo-Europeandumb-tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →