Where does “stæfwis” come from?

stæfwis (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.

stæfwis (Old English): literate; lettered

Definitions

  1. literate; lettered

Ancestry of “stæfwis”, step by step

stæfwis 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 wīs

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwīswise
2Proto-Germanicwīsazwise, knowledgeable
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweydstosknowledgeable
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stebʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic stabaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic stab →