stoop

[Francois]

Is there any reason why you call a stoop a stoop?
I mean, you don't need to stoop to enter the house, right?

FRC

 

[Casiopea]

Is there any reason why you call a stoop a stoop?
I mean, you don't need to stoop to enter the house, right?

FRC

Rhetorical question?

There're two possibilities, one of which stems from a borrowing:

1) stoop (n.) - "raised open platform at the door of a house," 1755, Amer.Eng. and Canadian, from Du. stoep "flight of steps, doorstep, stoop," from M.Du., from P.Gmc. *stopo "step."
Source: www.etymonline.com

2) It's the place where one stoops (i.e. bends forward, bows) to look into the doorway of a home. In the days of old, doorsways didn't have great height to them. One had to stoop down to enter. Maybe the height of the doorway had something to do with the height of people in those days. :wink:

 

[MikeNewYork]

Is there any reason why you call a stoop a stoop?
I mean, you don't need to stoop to enter the house, right?

FRC

Rhetorical question?

There're two possibilities, one of which stems from a borrowing:

1) stoop (n.) - "raised open platform at the door of a house," 1755, Amer.Eng. and Canadian, from Du. stoep "flight of steps, doorstep, stoop," from M.Du., from P.Gmc. *stopo "step."
Source: www.etymonline.com

2) It's the place where one stoops (i.e. bends forward, bows) to look into the doorway of a home. In the days of old, doorsways didn't have great height to them. One had to stoop down to enter. Maybe the height of the doorway had something to do with the height of people in those days. :wink:

Good job, Cas. I'm going with #1 on this one. :wink:

 

[Tombraiders]

Is there any reason why you call a stoop a stoop?
I mean, you don't need to stoop to enter the house, right?

FRC

That depends on where you live. If you live in New York, you would see one and even step up and down on it everyday. Most of the houses with a basement or a walk-in, pushing the first floor above the ground, has a stoop at the front door of the house. Some even build one at the side door. The architecture of the house calls for one.

 

[Francois]

Right, I've seen that in Law and Order. But I meant one doesn't have to lower himself (like the door is too small) to enter. As Cas pointed out, it just seems to come from a common root with step, which makes sense.

FRC

 

[Casiopea]

Is there any reason why you call a stoop a stoop?
I mean, you don't need to stoop to enter the house, right?

FRC

Rhetorical question?

There're two possibilities, one of which stems from a borrowing:

1) stoop (n.) - "raised open platform at the door of a house," 1755, Amer.Eng. and Canadian, from Du. stoep "flight of steps, doorstep, stoop," from M.Du., from P.Gmc. *stopo "step."
Source: www.etymonline.com

2) It's the place where one stoops (i.e. bends forward, bows) to look into the doorway of a home. In the days of old, doorsways didn't have great height to them. One had to stoop down to enter. Maybe the height of the doorway had something to do with the height of people in those days. :wink:

Good job, Cas. I'm going with #1 on this one. :wink:

:lol: :lol: Me, too.

 

[twostep]

You stoop to doing something. You lower your principals. See accounting scandals - management stooped to falsifying records.

 

[Francois]

Yes, I've seen that figurative usage in Cambridge dicts.
TY.

FRC

 

[Tdol]

In the days of old, doorsways didn't have great height to them. One had to stoop down to enter. Maybe the height of the doorway had something to do with the height of people in those days. :wink:

I read that the reason for this was not height but heating- it kept the hottest air in the room when the door was opened. However, I have no idea if this is true. ;-)

 

[Casiopea]

I read that the reason for this was not height but heating- it kept the hottest air in the room when the door was opened. However, I have no idea if this is true. ;-)

Well if it isn't it should be. :up:



There's a church in Lebanon...

The height, I am told, was kept low to prevent the Ottoman oppressors from riding their horses into the church.

Source

 

[Tdol]

I have few problems riding my horse into church in the UK. ;-)