From Middle Englishstathe, from Old Englishsteþ, stæþ(“bank, shore”), from Proto-Germanic*staþą, *staþaz, *staþwō(“bank, shore”). Cognate with Old Frisian sted(“bank, shore”), Middle High German stat(“bank, shore”), dialectal Norwegian stad(“riverbank”), Icelandic stöð(“a harbour, roadstead, port, landing”); akin to Old English stede(“place”). More at stead.