stand
To be in an upright position on one's feet.
Etymology
From Old English standan, from Proto-Germanic *standaną, from PIE *steh₂- "to stand, to be upright." This root is extraordinarily productive — it gives us "state," "status," "statue," "station," "stable," "establish," "substance," "assist," "exist," "insist," "persist," "resist," and dozens more through Latin sistere and stāre.
The Journey: *steh₂- → stand
*steh₂-
*standaną
standan
standen
stand
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *steh₂-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | hístēmi |
| Latin | stāre |
| Sanskrit | tíṣṭhati |
| Old Irish | tá (is, stands) |
| Lithuanian | stóti |
| Old Church Slavonic | stati |
Did You Know?
Over 100 common English words trace back to PIE *steh₂- "to stand." State, station, statue, stable, stage, stall, stamina, standard, static, statistics, status, store, restore, substance, and even "understand" — one of the most prolific roots in the language.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *steh₂-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.