Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “distæf” come from?

distæf (Old English) comes from Old English stæf, from Proto-West Germanic stab, from Proto-Germanic stabaz, from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- — to stand still; to harden.

distæf (Old English): distaff

Definitions

  1. distaff

Ancestry of “distæf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstæfstaff; letter, written character
2Proto-West Germanicstabstaff; letter
3Proto-Germanicstabazstaff, stick
4Proto-Indo-Europeanstebʰ-to stand still; to harden

Words derived from “distæf”

  • distaff
  • distaff
  • distaf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →