Where does “stub” come from?

stub (Middle English) comes from Old Norse stubbi, from Proto-Germanic stubbô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- — to push, to hit.

Ancestry of “stub”, step by step

stub traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse stubbi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsestubbistump
2Proto-Germanicstubbôstump; stub
3Proto-Indo-European(s)tewb-to push, hit; to push; stick; to push, butt,...
4Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit

via Old Norse stobbi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsestobbi
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew-
stub — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer