Where does “distaf” come from?

distaf (Middle English) comes from Old English distæf, from Old English stæf, from Proto-West Germanic stab, from Proto-Germanic stabaz, from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- — to stand still; to harden.

distaf (Middle English): A distaff; a staff for spinning

Definitions

  1. A distaff; a staff for spinning

Ancestry of “distaf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdistæfdistaff
2Old Englishstæfstaff; letter, written character
3Proto-West Germanicstabstaff; letter
4Proto-Germanicstabazstaff, stick
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstebʰ-to stand still; to harden

Words derived from “distaf”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic stabaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stab →