Where does “Bristol” come from?
Bristol (Portuguese) comes from English bristol, from Middle English Bristowe, from Old English Bryċġstōw, from Old English stōw, from Proto-West Germanic *stōu, from Proto-Germanic *stōō, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂w-, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- — to stand.
Ancestry of “Bristol”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bristol | A woman's breast |
| 2 | Middle English | Bristowe | — |
| 3 | Old English | Bryċġstōw | — |
| 4 | Old English | stōw | place, locality, site; place, location; a place,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *stōu | a place |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *stōō | a place, location, site |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂w- | to set, place |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |