Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “steire” come from?

steire (Middle English) comes from Old English stǣġer, from Proto-Germanic staigriz, from Proto-Indo-European steyǵʰ-.

steire (Middle English): staircase, stairs; stair, step; ladder

Definitions

  1. staircase, stairs; stair, step; ladder

Ancestry of “steire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstǣġerstair, staircase
2Proto-Germanicstaigrizscaffold, platform; stairs
3Proto-Indo-Europeansteyǵʰ-—

Words derived from “steire”

  • stairs
  • upstairs
  • downstairs
  • staircase
  • stair
  • stairway
  • stairwell
  • backstairs
  • stairhead
  • stairstep
  • belowstairs
  • upstair
  • abovestairs
  • stairlift
  • downstair
  • backstair
  • stairfoot
  • staired
  • stairclimbing
  • airstair
  • stairlike
  • understairs
  • stairless
  • stairwork
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steyǵʰ- →