Where does “staffa” come from?
staffa (French) comes from French staffer, from French staff, 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.
staffa (French): third-person singular past historic of staffer
Definitions
- third-person singular past historic of staffer
Ancestry of “staffa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | staffer | to cover with staff |
| 2 | French | staff | staff, mixture of plaster and fibre; staff,... |
| 3 | English | staff | A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick,... |
| 4 | Middle English | staf | A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,... |
| 5 | Old English | stæf | staff; letter, written character |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | stab | staff; letter |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | stabaz | staff, stick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stebʰ- | to stand still; to harden |