Where does “staf” come from?

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

staf (Middle English): A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,...

Definitions

  1. A staff, rod or pole; a relatively long, narrow,...

Ancestry of “staf”, step by step

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

Words derived from “staf”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →