Where does “stole” come from?

stole (Middle English) comes from Old English stōl, from Proto-West Germanic *stōl, from Proto-Germanic stōlaz, from Proto-Indo-European stoh₂los, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- — to stand.

Ancestry of “stole”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstōlchair, seat, throne
2Proto-West Germanic*stōlstool, chair
3Proto-Germanicstōlazstool; throne; chair
4Proto-Indo-Europeanstoh₂losframe, rack, stand
5Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European stoh₂los →Every word from Proto-Germanic stōlaz →
stole — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer