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stance

Etymology and origin of the English word stance

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1532
Borrowed from
Middle French stance
Ultimate origin
Latin (stans)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /stɑːns/ (UK); /stæns/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Middle French stance (“resting place, harbour”),[2][3] from Italian stanza (“stopping place, station”),[2][4][5] from Vulgar Latin *stantia, from Latin stāns, stantis, present participle of stāre, to stand (see stand),[2][3] from Proto-Indo-European *sta-, to stand.[3] It is a doublet of stanza.[2] Merriam-Webster derives it instead from Middle French estance, position (see stanchion).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A standing place, station or position: 1532 in Barnhart and the OED, the 1530s in Etymonline.[2][7][3]

Semantic evolution

A site, especially for building, is from 1631, chiefly in Scots use,[7] and a platform for a workman, or in mountaineering a ledge to stand on, from 1811.[7] The position of the player's feet in golf and other games is from 1897,[2][3][7] a manner of standing from 1929,[2] and the figurative sense, an attitude or point of view, from 1956 in Barnhart and 1960 in the OED.[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1532 – a standing place.[2]
  • 1631 – a building site (Scots).[7]
  • 1811 – a platform or ledge.[7]
  • 1897 – a golfer's stance.[2]
  • 1929 – a manner of standing.[2]
  • 1956 – an intellectual position.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The way a person or animal stands, especially an athlete's position before acting.
  2. An attitude or point of view: a tough stance on crime.
  3. (Scotland) A place where buses or taxis wait.
  4. (mountaineering) A ledge where a climber can stand and belay.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Stance.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/stance. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·