Where does “starc” come from?

starc (Middle English) comes from Old English stearc, from Proto-West Germanic stark, from Proto-Germanic starkaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- — to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff.

Ancestry of “starc”, step by step

starc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English stearc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstearcsevere, stern, harsh; stiff, rigid, not bending,...
2Proto-West Germanicstarkstiff, stark
3Proto-Germanicstarkaz—
4Proto-Indo-European(s)terg-to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff

via Old English starc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstarcstiff, obstinate, severe, etc
2Proto-Germanicstarkuzstiff; rigid; strong
3Proto-Germanicsterkanąto become stiff, stiffen
4Proto-Indo-Europeansterg-rigid, stiff; to love

Words derived from “starc”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic starkaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stark →