English

headstay

From head + stay.

A compound of head + stay

Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’

…

Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’

Proto-West Germanic *haubud

Old English hēafod ‘head’

Middle English heed ‘head’

English head

Old French estaye ‘a prop, stay’

Old French estayer ‘to fix, prop up, support, stay’

Middle English steyen

English stay

Today it means

noun Synonym of forestay.

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

Etymograph / headstay