Etymograph

English

stet

Stet comes from Latin stet ‘let it stand’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sth₂éh₁yeti1‘to stand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*staējō1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*staēō1‘to stand’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstō2‘to stand’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstet2‘let it stand’inflection of stō
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1867stet2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin sto
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English stet
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1867, Maryland. Constitutional Convention, Proceedings of the State Convention of Maryland: “I respectfully submit the following statement in accordance with…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Latin sto‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sth₂éh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin sto‘to stand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*staējōWiktionary, Latin storeconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*staēōWiktionary, Latin sto‘to stand’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstōWiktionary, English stet‘to stand’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstetWiktionary, English stet‘let it stand’inflection of stō
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1867stetWiktionary, English stet. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1867, Maryland. Constitutional Convention, Proceedings of the State Convention of Maryland: “I respectfully submit the following statement in accordance with…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’

state, post, system, stay, stand, assistant, assistance, stadium, constitution, stood, stable, assist, consistent, destination, contest, destiny, resist, static, testimony, insist, consist, prostitution, persistent, stem, stud, persist, substitution, prostitute, stool, stamina, stale, armistice, restitution, solstice, desist, subsistence, testimonial, stasis, bestow, stalwart, 137 more

through Proto-Italic *staējō

instability, 11 more

through Proto-Italic *staēō ‘to stand’

establishment, arrest, establish, stability, stationary, instantaneous, distantly, restive, instantiation, 12 more

through Latin stō ‘to stand’

rest, stage, station, distance, instance, instant, substance, distant, extant, distal, oust, obstetric, 24 more

Today it means

noun A symbol used by proofreaders and typesetters to indicate that a word or phrase that was crossed out or changed should remain as it was.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “stet”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sto. 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 *steh₂- / stet

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