English
frithstool
From frith + stool.
Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- ‘oak’
…
Proto-West Germanic *furhu ‘fir’
Proto-West Germanic *furhiþi ‘forest, woodland’
Old English fyrhþe ‘forest, wooded country’
Middle English frith ‘forest, woodland’
English frith
Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’
…
Proto-Germanic *stōlaz ‘chair’
Proto-West Germanic *stōl ‘stool, chair’
Old English stōl ‘chair, seat’
Middle English stool
English stool
Today it means
noun An Anglo-Saxon stone seat, placed near the altar of a church, which afforded protection to those seeking sanctuary.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / frithstool