Etymology Explorer › Middle English

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”

  • staff
  • stave
  • staffer
  • flagstaff
  • waitstaff
  • staffroom
  • pikestaff
  • quarterstaff
  • tipstaff
  • jackstaff
  • whipstaff
  • nonstaff
  • bowstave
  • staffless
  • staffman
  • bedstaff
  • restaff
  • overstaff
  • forestaff
  • broomstaff
  • groundstaff
  • staveless
  • understaff
  • cowlstaff
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →