stair

Meaning

Noun

• A single step in a staircase.
• A series of steps; a staircase.

Related

Similar words

• apples and pears

Origin

• From Middle English steire, staire, stayre, stayer, steir, steyre, steyer, from Old English stǣġer, from Proto-Germanic *staigriz, from Proto-Indo-European *steygʰ-. Cognate with Dutch steiger ("a stair, step, wharf, pier, scaffolding"), Middle Low German steiger, steir, German Low German Steiger ("a scaffold; trestle"). Related to Old English āstǣġan ("to ascend, go up, embark"), Old English stīġan ("to go, move, reach; ascend, mount, go up, spring up, rise; scale"), German Stiege ("a flight of stairs"). More at sty.