Where does “yardstick” come from?

Yardstick comes from English yard, from Old English ġeard, from Proto-Germanic gardaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to enclose or grasp.

yardstick (English): A measuring rod thirty-six inches long; A...

Definitions

  1. A measuring rod thirty-six inches long; A...

Ancestry of “yardstick”, step by step

yardstick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Yard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishYardScotland Yard or New Scotland Yard
2Englishmilliard10, a thousand million
3FrenchmilliardA milliard
4Frenchmillionmillion, 10
5Middle Frenchmillionmillion, 10
6Old Frenchmillon—
7Italianmilionemillion
8Italianmillethousand
9LatinMīllethousand; 1000
10Proto-Italicsmīɣeslīthousand
11Proto-Indo-Europeansmih₂ǵʰéslih₂—

via English stick

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstickAn elongated piece of wood or similar material,...
2Middle Englishstikketwig, branch; kindling, twigs used as a...
3Old Englishsticcastick
4Proto-West Germanic*stikkōstick, pole
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ →