*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of stir

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- Proto-Indo-European *(s)twr̥H-yé-ti? Proto-Germanic *sturjaną Proto-West Germanic *sturjan Old English styrian Middle English stiren English stir From Middle English stiren,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The act or result of stirring (moving around the particles of a liquid etc.) · agitation; tumult; bustle; noise or various movements. · Public disturbance or commotion; tumultuous disorder; seditious uproar. · Agitation of thoughts; conflicting passions.

verb

To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it. · To disturb the content of (a container) by passing an object through it. · To emotionally affect; to touch, to move. · To incite to action.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- Proto-Indo-European *(s)twr̥H-yé-ti? Proto-Germanic *sturjaną Proto-West Germanic *sturjan Old English styrian Middle English stiren English stir From Middle English stiren, sturien, steren, from Old English styrian (“to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble”), from Proto-Germanic *sturiz (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), related to Proto-West Germanic *staurijan (“to destroy, disturb”). Cognate with Old Norse styrr (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), German stören (“to disturb”), Dutch storen (“to disturb”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionstirenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionstyrianang · to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble
  • Derivation mention*sturizgem-pro · turmoil, noise, confusion
  • Cognate mention*staurijangmw-pro · to destroy, disturb
  • Cognate mentionstyrrnon · turmoil, noise, confusion
  • Cognate mentionstörende
  • Cognate mentionstorennl

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:stiren",
        "id": "stiren",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)twerH-\nProto-Indo-European *(s)twr̥H-yé-ti?\nProto-Germanic *sturjaną\nProto-West Germanic *sturjan\nOld English styrian\nMiddle English stiren\nEnglish stir\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*sturjaną\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*sturjan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"styrian\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"stiren\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"stir\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"stiren\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"stir\" id=\"English:_stiren\">"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "stiren"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English stiren"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "styrian",
        "t": "to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English styrian (“to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*sturiz",
        "t": "turmoil, noise, confusion"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *sturiz (“turmoil, noise, confusion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmw-pro",
        "2": "*staurijan",
        "t": "to destroy, disturb"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *staurijan (“to destroy, disturb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "styrr",
        "t": "turmoil, noise, confusion"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse styrr (“turmoil, noise, confusion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "stören",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to disturb"
      },
      "expansion": "German stören (“to disturb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "storen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to disturb"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch storen (“to disturb”)"
    },
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    }
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sturjan"
    ],
    [
      "styrian",
      "styrian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "stiren",
      "stiren#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "stiren",
      "stiren#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "sturien",
      "sturien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "steren",
      "steren#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "styrian",
      "styrian#Old_English"
    ],
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    ],
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      "*staurijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/staurijan"
    ],
    [
      "styrr",
      "styrr#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "stören",
      "stören#German"
    ],
    [
      "storen",
      "storen#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act or result of stirring (moving around the particles of a liquid etc.)",
        "agitation; tumult; bustle; noise or various movements.",
        "Public disturbance or commotion; tumultuous disorder; seditious uproar.",
        "Agitation of thoughts; conflicting passions."
      ],
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        "To disturb the content of (a container) by passing an object through it.",
        "To emotionally affect; to touch, to move.",
        "To incite to action."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Jail; prison.

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

From Romani stariben (“prison”), nominalisation of (a)star (“seize”), causative of ast (“remain”), probably from Sanskrit आतिष्ठति (ātiṣṭhati, “stand or remain by”), from तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati, “stand”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "rom",
        "3": "stariben",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Romani stariben (“prison”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "आतिष्ठति",
        "t": "stand or remain by"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit आतिष्ठति (ātiṣṭhati, “stand or remain by”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ]
  ],
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      ],
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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 stir →

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-c3Rpcg