steig-

To stick; pointed. Partly blended with stegh-.

Derivatives include stitch, ticket, instinct, stigma, tiger, and steak.

I. Zero-grade form *stig-.

1. stickleback, from Old English sticel, a prick, sting, from Germanic suffixed form *stik-ilaz.

2. Suffixed form *stig-i-. stitch, from Old English stice, a sting, prick, from Germanic *stikiz.

3. stick, from Old English sticca, stick, from Germanic expressive form *stikkōn-.

4. etiquette, ticket, from Old French estiquier, to stick, from Germanic stative *stikkēn, “to be stuck.”

5. snickersnee, from Middle Dutch steken, to stick, stab, from Germanic blended variant *stekan.

6. Nasalized zero-grade form *sti-n-g-. distinguish, extinguish, instinct, from Latin stinguere, to quench, perhaps originally to prick, and its apparent derivative dīstinguere, to separate (phonological and semantic transitions obscure).

7. Suffixed form *stig-yo-. stigma; astigmatism, from Greek stizein, to prick, tattoo.

8. Suffixed reduced form *tig-ro-. tiger, from Greek tigris, tiger (from its stripes), from the same Iranian source as Old Persian tigra-, sharp, pointed, and Avestan tighri-, arrow.

II. Basic form *(s)teig-.

1. instigate, from Latin īnstīgāre, to urge, from -stīgāre, to spur on, prod.

2. raita, from Sanskrit tejate (verbal adjective tikta-), it is sharp.

III. Suffixed o-grade form *stoig-ā-. steak, from Old Norse steik, roast, steak, and steikja, to roast (on a spit), from Germanic *staikō.

IV. Extended variant form *teigs-.

a. thistle, from Old English thistel;

b. distelfink, from Old High German distil, thistle. Both a and b from Germanic *thistilaz, perhaps simplified from earlier *thīhstilaz.

 

[Pokorny (s)teig- 1016.]

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