English

alpenstock

Alpenstock comes from German Alpenstock.

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Earliest quotation: 1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest […]: “[…]liaison being leaked to Der Spiegel resulted in the…”

A compound of Alpen ‘alps’ + Stock ‘stick’

Old High German alpen

Middle High German alben

German Alpen ‘alps’

Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- ‘to be sharp, to stab, to goad, to puncture’

Proto-Germanic *stikaną ‘to stick, stab’

Proto-Germanic *stukkaz ‘stick’

Proto-West Germanic *stokk ‘stick, post’

Old High German stoc

Middle High German stoc

German Stock ‘stick’

Every English word from German Alpenstock

noun A stout adjustable walking stick with a metal point, used by mountain climbers and walkers in hilly or uneven terrain.

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