Where does “stiff” come from?

stiff (Middle English) comes from Middle English stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic stīf, from Proto-Germanic stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European steypós.

stiff (Middle English): Alternative form of stif

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of stif

Ancestry of “stiff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishstifStiff, firm, hard; difficult to move or...
2Old EnglishstīfStiff, firm, hard
3Proto-West Germanicstīfstiff, rigid
4Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
5Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steypós →Every word from Proto-Germanic stīfaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stīf →
stiff — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer