Where does “style” come from?
style (Middle English) comes from Medieval Latin stylus, from Latin stilus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)teyg- — to be sharp; to sting.
style (Middle English): Alternative form of stile
Definitions
- Alternative form of stile
Ancestry of “style”, step by step
style traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Medieval Latin stylus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | stylus | Alternative form of stilus |
| 2 | Latin | stilus | A pointed instrument; stake, pale, spike; A... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teyg- | to be sharp; to sting |
via Old English stiġel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | stiġel | stile, set of steps for getting over a fence |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *stigilu | a device used for climbing (over); stile |
Words derived from “style”