runestave

Meaning

Noun

• A runic letter or character.

Origin

• 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, equivalent to rune + stave and/or rune + staff. Cognate with Old High German rūnstab, rūnstafa, Danish runestav, Swedish runstav, Faroese rúnastavur. Compare English bookstaff.