stance

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*steh₂-“to stand (up)”
2. Latin · derived fromstō“to stand; to remain, stay”
3. Vulgar Latin · derived from*stantia
4. Italian · derived fromstanza“room, standing place; stanza”
5. Old French · derived fromestance“predicament; situation; sojourn, stay”
6. Middle English · inherited fromstaunce“place to stand; battle station; position; standing in society; circumstance, situation; stanchion”
7. English todaystance

From Middle English staunce (“place to stand; battle station; position; standing in society; circumstance, situation; stanchion”), from Old French estance (“predicament; situation; sojourn, stay”) (compare modern French stance (“stanza; position one stands in when golfing”)), from Italian stanza (“room, standing place; stanza”), from Vulgar Latin *stantia, from Latin stō (“to stand; to remain, stay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”). The word is cognate with Spanish estante (“shelf”) and a doublet of stanza. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare typologically Czech postoj (“stance (the way of holding a body); stance (point of view)”) (cognate via PIE). Also see position, posture.

Words from the same roots