An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/stechen

by Friedrich Kluge

stechen, verb, ‘to prick, stab, engrave,’ from the equivalent Middle High German stëchen, Old High German stëhhan, strong verb. From this strong verbal root stek, which is preserved in Middle European Teutonic (Old Saxon stëkan, Dutch steken, Old Frisian steka); compare sticken, Stecken, and Stichel. By passing from the i class into the e class this root (compare bitten) originated in an older form stik, pre-Teutonic stig, which has a variant tig, ‘to be sharp,’ in the non-Teutonic languages. Compare Sanscrit tij, ‘to be sharp, sharpen’ (tigmá, ‘pointed, sharp’), Greek στίγμα, ‘prick, point,’ from στέζω, ‘to mark with a pointed instrument, prick,’ Latin instîgare, ‘to goad on, incite.’ Whether these are connected further with a prehistoric root stik, stink (see Stange), is uncertain. —