Etymograph

English

Stalin

Stalin comes from Russian Ста́лин, from сталь ‘steel’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stek- ‘to be firm, stand fast’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stek-‘to be firm, stand fast’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stahlą‘steel’reconstructed
  3. Old High Germanc. 750–1050stahal
  4. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350stahel
  5. Germanc. 1650–presentStahl‘steel’
  6. Russianmodernсталь‘steel’
  7. Russian, derivedmodernСта́линStálin
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2008Stalin

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stek-‘to be firm, stand fast’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stahlą‘steel’reconstructed
  3. Old High Germanc. 750–1050stahal
  4. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350stahel
  5. Germanc. 1650–presentStahl‘steel’
  6. Russianmodernсталь‘steel’
  7. Russian, derivedmodernСта́линStálin
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2008Stalin

Earliest quotation: 2008, 1955 March 2, Comments on the change in Soviet leadership: “Even in Stalin’s time there was collective leadership. The…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *stek- ‘to be firm, stand fast’

stay, 1 more

through Proto-Germanic *stahlą ‘steel’

steel, 1 more

Today it means

name A surname from Russian; usually referring to the Georgian revolutionary and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Joseph Stalin.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *stek- / Stalin

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