Where does “stæfræw” come from?

stæfræw (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.

stæfræw (Old English): alphabet

Definitions

  1. alphabet

Ancestry of “stæfræw”, step by step

stæfræw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English stæf

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

via Old English rǣw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishrǣwline, row
2Proto-Germanicraiwō—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanreyk-to tear, scratch; streak; to carve, scratch, etch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic stabaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stab →
stæfræw — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer