Etymograph

English

stance

Stance comes from Old French estance ‘predicament’, from Vulgar Latin *stantia ‘standing, stopping-place’, and ultimately from Latin stāre.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstāre
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEstantem
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*stantia‘standing, stopping-place’reconstructed
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentstanza
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estance‘predicament’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500staunce‘place to stand’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1776stance

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history not traced here.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstāre
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEstantem
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*stantia‘standing, stopping-place’reconstructed
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentstanza
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estance‘predicament’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500staunce‘place to stand’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1776stance

Earliest quotation: 1776, Sheriff-Muir: “Rob Roy ſtood watch / On a hill for…”

The story

The word is cognate with Spanish estante (‘shelf’) and a doublet of stanza. Also see position, posture.

Linked words

through Latin stāre

stable, superstition, 3 more

through Italian stanza

stanza

Today it means

noun The manner, pose, or posture in which one stands.

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

Etymograph / Latin stāre / stance

Shirt and support for this word