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