Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “withstay” come from?

withstay (English) comes from English stay, from Middle English stay, from Old French estaye, from Middle Dutch staeye, from Middle Dutch staede, from Old Dutch stad, from Proto-Germanic stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European stéh₂tis.

withstay (English): To hold back; oppose; withstand

Definitions

  1. To hold back; oppose; withstand

Ancestry of “withstay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstayTo prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To...
2Middle EnglishstayA stay
3Old Frenchestayeprop, support
4Middle Dutchstaeyea prop, stay
5Middle Dutchstaede—
6Old Dutchstada site, place, location, standing
7Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
8Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
9Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →