An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Stute

by Friedrich Kluge

Stute, feminine, ‘mare,’ from Middle High German stuot, feminine, ‘breeding stud, mare’ (for the evolution of a collective meaning see Kamerad and Frauenzimmer), Old High German stuta, singular, ‘drove of horses.’ Corresponding to Anglo-Saxon stôd, equivalent to English stud, Anglo-Saxon stêda (English steed), ‘stallion’; Old Icelandic stóð, ‘stud, number of horses,’ and stedda (from *stœ́dda), feminine, ‘mare’; compare also Middle English stott, ‘horse.’ Modern High German Gestüt, neuter, ‘stud,’ is a recent collective form. Old Slovenian stado, Lithuanian stodas, ‘drove of horses,’ are clearly related to the Teutonic cognates, but they may with as good reason be regarded as loan-words; yet compare Lithuanian stónè, ‘stable’ (for horses). The whole of the cognates are connected with the Aryan root stā̆, ‘to stand’ (Old High German stuota, literally ‘stock’? ‘stable’?).