*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of steed

Inherited from Middle English stede (“steed”), from Old English stēda (“stallion, stud”), from Proto-West Germanic *stōdijō; (compare Old Dutch stoti (“herd of horses”), Old High German stuot (“herd of horses”)).

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A stallion, especially one used for riding. · A bicycle or other vehicle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English stede (“steed”), from Old English stēda (“stallion, stud”), from Proto-West Germanic *stōdijō; (compare Old Dutch stoti (“herd of horses”), Old High German stuot (“herd of horses”)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionstedeenm
  • Inherited-form mentionstedeenm · steed
  • Inherited-form mentionstēdaang · stallion, stud
  • Inherited-form mention*stōdijōgmw-pro
  • Cognate mentionstotiodt
  • Cognate mentionstuotgoh
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "I"
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        "3": "stede",
        "4": "",
        "5": "steed",
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        "pos": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Middle English stede (“steed”)"
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    {
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        "3": "stede",
        "id": "steed",
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      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English stede (“steed”)"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
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        "t": "stallion, stud"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English stēda (“stallion, stud”)"
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *stōdijō"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "odt",
        "2": "stoti",
        "3": "",
        "4": "herd of horses"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Dutch stoti (“herd of horses”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "stuot",
        "3": "",
        "4": "herd of horses"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German stuot (“herd of horses”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stede",
      "stede#Middle_English:_steed"
    ],
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      "steda#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*stōdijō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/stōdijō"
    ],
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      "stoti",
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    ],
    [
      "stuot",
      "stuot#Old_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A stallion, especially one used for riding.",
        "A bicycle or other vehicle."
      ],
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      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "271742d12b676b345b4b759a04c2f92c95bf4f2b47655694703b454e4a130089",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239937
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for steed →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c3RlZWQ