stamp

stamp · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic*stampōną
2. Proto-Germanic*stampijaną?
3. Proto-West Germanic*stampijan
4. Old Englishstempan
5. Old English*stampian
6. Middle Englishstampen
7. English todaystamp

From Middle English stampen (“to pound, crush”), from assumed Old English *stampian, variant of Old English stempan (“to crush, pound, pound in mortar, stamp”), from Proto-West Germanic *stampōn, *stampijan, from Proto-Germanic *stampōną, *stampijaną (“to trample, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *stemb- (“to trample down”). Cognate with Dutch stampen (“to stamp, pitch”), German stampfen (“to stamp”), Danish stampe (“to stamp”), Swedish stampa (“to stomp”), Occitan estampar, Polish stąpać (“to step, treat”). See also stomp, step. Marks indicating that postage had been paid were originally made by stamping the item to be mailed; when affixed pieces of paper were introduced for this purpose, the term “stamp” was transferred to cover this new form.

Stamp · proper noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*stampōną
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*stampōn
3. Old Saxon · derived from*stampōn
4. Middle Low German · derived fromstampen“to crush, pestle”
5. English todayStamp

* As an English surname, variant of Stamps, habitational surname of Norman origin from Estampes, earlier name of Étampes. * As a German surname, from Middle Low German stampen (“to crush, pestle”), from Old Saxon *stampōn, from Proto-West Germanic *stampōn, from Proto-Germanic *stampōną.

Words from the same roots