runestaff

R1U1N1E1S1T1A1F4F4

noun

A runic letter or character.

OriginMiddle English run-staf ← Old English rūnstæf ← Proto-West Germanic *rūnustab →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounrunestaff (plural runestaffs or runestaves)

plural runestaffs · plural runestaves · alternative runestave

  1. archaic or puristicA runic letter or character.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*rūnōstabaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*rūnustab
  3. Old Englishrūnstæf
  4. Middle Englishrun-staf
  5. Englishrunestaff

From Middle English run-staf (attested in the plural as run-staven), from Old English rūnstæf, from Proto-West Germanic *rūnustab, from Proto-Germanic *rūnōstabaz. Cognate with Old High German rūnstab, rūnstafa, Danish runestav, Swedish runstav, Faroese rúnastavur. Compare English bookstaff. By surface analysis, rune + staff.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

runestaff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runestaff

MLA

“runestaff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runestaff. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “runestaff,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/runestaff.

Source: runestaff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.