Where does “stopfen” come from?
stopfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German stopfōn, from Frankish stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic stuppōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- — to push, to hit.
Ancestry of “stopfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | stopfōn | to plug, stuff |
| 2 | Frankish | stoppōn | to cram, plug, stuff |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | stuppōną | to stop; to close |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewb- | to push, hit; to push; stick; to push, butt,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |