Etymograph

English

stay

Stay comes from Middle English steyen, from Old French estayer ‘to fix, prop up, support, stay’, from estaye ‘a prop, stay’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estaye‘a prop, stay’
  2. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400estayer‘to fix, prop up, support, stay’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500steyen
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1551stay

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estaye‘a prop, stay’
  2. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400estayer‘to fix, prop up, support, stay’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500steyen
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1551stay

Earliest quotation: 1551, Thomas More, (please specify the Internet Archive page): “They were able to read good authors without any…”

The story

Influenced by Old English stæġ ("a stay, rope"; see below). Sense of "remain, continue" may be due to later influence from Old French ester, esteir (‘to stand, be, continue, remain’), from Latin stāre (‘stand’), from the same Proto-Indo-European root above; however, derivation from this root is untenable based on linguistic and historical grounds. An alternative etymology derives Old French estaye, estaie, from Frankish *stakā, *stakō (‘stake, post’), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (‘stake, bar, stick, pole’), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (‘rod, pole, stick’), making it cognate with Old English staca (‘pin, stake’), Old English stician (‘to stick, be placed, lie, remain fixed’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’

system, state, post, rest, stand, distance, constitution, assistant, consistent, contest, stood, assistance, assist, instance, establishment, stadium, destination, establish, testimony, destiny, resist, stem, stable, stability, instant, substance, insist, persistent, consist, distant, prostitution, static, prostitute, stud, persist, stationary, substitution, stool, armistice, attest, 158 more

Another origin of stay

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-‘to stand (up)’root as named · steps between not traced
  2. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500staeye‘a prop, stay’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estaye
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stay‘a stay (rope)’
  5. Englishtodaysame form

Another origin of stay

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-‘to stand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stek-reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stagą‘stay, rope’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*stagreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150stæġ‘stay, a rope supporting a mast’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stay‘a stay (rope)’
  7. Englishtodaysame form

Another origin of stay

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steygʰ-‘to walk, climb’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stéygʰeti‘to be walking’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stīganą‘to rise’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*staigijaną‘to raise up, to elevate’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*staigijan‘to raise up, elevate’reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*staigil‘steep’reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150stǣġel‘steep, abrupt’
  8. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150*stǣġereconstructedapocopated variant of stǣġel
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*steȝereconstructed
  10. Englishtodaystay

Today it means

verb To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.

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

Etymograph / Old French estaye / stay

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