Stoop
/stuːp/noun
To bend the body forward or downward; also, a porch with steps leading to a door.
Did you know?The verb and noun trace back to different old Germanic roots, but the bending sense is so ancient that it survived through centuries of everyday body language and architecture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*staupijaną
“to cause to bend or stoop; to make lower”
Old English
OE
stūpian
“to stoop, bend down”
Middle English
ME
stoupen
“to bend down, bow, crouch”
Middle English
ME
stope
“a porch or small platform at a doorway”
Modern English
English
stoop
“to bend the body forward or downward; a porch or small platform at a doorway”