Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “stark” come from?

stark (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 “stark”, step by step

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

Words derived from “stark”

  • stark
  • starch
  • starchy
  • cornstarch
  • starchiness
  • nonstarchy
  • nonstarch
  • starcher
  • starchless
  • nitrostarch
  • starchily
  • clearstarcher
  • pentastarch
  • distarch
  • starchlike
  • starchness
  • starchly
  • unstarch
  • clearstarch
  • starkish
  • non-starchy
  • overstarch
  • starchwort
  • tetrastarch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terg- →