Stare
/stɛər/noun
To look fixedly or vacantly at something or someone.
Did you know?The word is tied to an old Germanic root meaning “stiff” or “rigid,” which is why the modern sense feels so unnervingly frozen in place.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ster-
“to stiffen, make rigid”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*staraz
“stiff, rigid”
Old English
OE
starian
“to gaze fixedly, stare”
Middle English
ME
staren
“to look fixedly or in surprise”
Modern English
English
stare
“to look fixedly or vacantly”