Etymograph

English

stein

Stein comes from German Stein ‘stone’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- ‘to stiffen’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steyh₂-1‘to stiffen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stóyh₂nos1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stainaz1‘stone’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*stain1‘stone’reconstructed
  5. Old High Germanc. 750–1050stein1‘stone’
  6. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350stein1‘stone’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentStein2‘stone’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1908stein2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, German Stein
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English stein
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1908, William Blair Morton Ferguson, Zollenstein: “So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steyh₂-Wiktionary, German Stein‘to stiffen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stóyh₂nosWiktionary, German Steinreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stainazWiktionary, German Stein‘stone’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*stainWiktionary, German Stein‘stone’reconstructed
  5. Old High Germanc. 750–1050steinWiktionary, German Stein‘stone’
  6. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350steinWiktionary, German Stein‘stone’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentSteinWiktionary, English stein‘stone’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1908steinWiktionary, English stein. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1908, William Blair Morton Ferguson, Zollenstein: “So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *stainaz ‘stone’

stain, stony, 4 more

through Proto-West Germanic *stain ‘stone’

stone, 2 more

Today it means

noun A beer mug, usually made of ceramic or glass.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “stein”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for German Stein. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- / stein

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