stick

stick · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
2. Proto-Indo-European*stignéh₂-
3. Proto-Germanic*stikkōną
4. Proto-Germanic*stikkô
5. Proto-West Germanic*stikkō
6. Old Englishsticca
7. Middle Englishstikke
8. English todaystick

From Middle English sticke, stik, stikke (“branch, twig; kindling; mast; pale; stick, stylus”), from Old English sticca (“stick; peg; beam, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkō, from Proto-Germanic *stikkô (“pole, stick”), from *stikkōną (“to fix, stick”), from *stikaną (“to stick; to stab”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp; to sting”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch stek (“home, spot; cutting, a leaf, stem, branch, or root removed from a plant and cultivated to grow a new plant”), German Stecken (“stick”), Vilamovian śtakia (“stick”); also Cornish wosa (“after”), Welsh wedi (“past (time); after”), Latin instigo (“to stimulate”), Ancient Greek στῐ́ζω (stĭ́zō, “to tattoo; to mark; to punctuate”), Central Kurdish تێژ (têj), تیژ (tîj, “sharp; hot, spicy”), Northern Kurdish tîj, tûj (“sharp; hot, spicy; severe”), Ossetian цыхт (cyxt, “cheese”), Persian تیز (tēz / tiz, “sharp; pungent; shrill; piercing; penetrating; nimble, swift; smart”), Sanskrit तेज॑ते (téjate, “to be or become sharp; to activate, energize”). Related to stigma.

stick · noun, verb, adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
2. Proto-Indo-European*stignéh₂-
3. Proto-Germanic*stikkōną
4. Proto-West Germanic*stikkōn
5. Old Englishstician
6. Middle Englishstiken
7. English todaystick

From Middle English stiken (“to stick, pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened”), from Old English stician (“to pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *stikkōną (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tig-, *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). See also the related Proto-Germanic *stikaną, whence West Frisian stekke, Low German steken, Dutch steken, German stechen; compare also Danish stikke, Swedish sticka. Cognate with the first etymology (same PIE root, different paths through Germanic and Old English), to stitch, and to etiquette, via French étiquette – see there for further discussion.

stick · noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
2. Proto-Germanic*stikaną
3. Proto-Germanic*stukkōną
4. Proto-Germanic*stukkiją
5. Proto-West Germanic*stukkī
6. Old Dutch*stukki
7. Middle Dutchstic
8. Middle Englishstick
9. English todaystick

From Middle English stick, stik, steik, from Middle Dutch stic, stec, stuc (“piece”), from Old Dutch *stukki, from Proto-West Germanic *stukkī, from Proto-Germanic *stukkiją (“piece”). Cognate with German Stück (“piece”), Middle English stucche, sticche (“piece”).

Stick · noun⁴

The Officials were known as the "Stickies" because they sold stick-on lilies to commemorate the Easter Rising. This was used to contrast from the nickname for the Provisionals, the pinnies (pejoratively pinheads), who used pinned-on lilies, though the latter nickname disappeared.

Words from the same roots