Stone — From Proto-Germanic to English | etymologist.ai
stone
/stoʊn/·noun·before 700 CE·Established
Origin
'Stone' is PIE *steyh- (to stiffen) — theearth's matter named for its defining quality: hardness.
Definition
A hard, solid non-metallic mineral matter; a piece of rock shaped for a purpose.
The Full Story
Proto-Germanicbefore 700 CEwell-attested
From OldEnglish 'stān' (stone, rock, gem, a pebble, a hard seed), from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (stone), from PIE *steyh₂- (to stiffen, to solidify, to become compact and rigid). Theroot encapsulates the essential quality of stone: it is matter in its most rigid, unyielding, hardened state. The samePIE root fed into Greek 'stía' (pebble, a small stone)
Did you know?
The British unit of weight called the 'stone' (14 pounds) literally derives from the ancient practice of using actual stones as counterweights on balance scales. When people say they weigh '10 stone,' they areinvoking a measurement system older than metal coinage.