Online Etymology Dictionary

trunk: 1462, "box, case," from O.Fr. tronc "alms box in a church" (12c.), also "trunk of a tree, trunk of the human body," from L. truncus, originally "mutilated, cut off." The meaning "box, case" is likely to be from the notion of the body as the "case" of the organs. Eng. acquired the other two senses of the O.Fr. word later; sense of "main stem of a tree" dates from 1490; that of "torso of a human body" from 1494. The sense of "luggage compartment of a motor vehicle" is from 1930. The use in reference to an elephant's snout is from 1565, probably from confusion with trump (short for trumpet). Railroad trunk line is attested from 1843; telephone version is from 1889.
balk: O.E. balca "ridge, bank," from or influenced by O.N. balkr "ridge of land," especially between two plowed furrows, both from P.Gmc. *balkan-, *belkan- (cf. O.S. balko, Dan. bjelke, O.Fris. balka, O.H.G. balcho, Ger. Balken "beam, rafter"), from PIE *bhelg- "beam, plank" (cf. L. fulcire "to prop up, support," fulcrum "bedpost;" Lith. balziena "cross-bar;" and possibly Gk. phalanx "trunk, log, line of battle"). Modern senses are figurative, either representing the balk as a hindrance or obstruction (e.g., of horses, "to stop short before an obstacle," recorded from late 15c.), or from the verb sense of "to miss or omit intentionally" (attested by late 15c.) as a lazy or incompetent plowman would in making balks. Baseball sense is first attested 1845. Related: Balky (1847).
proboscis: 1609, "elephant's trunk," from L. proboscis (Pliny), from Gk. proboskis "elephant's trunk," lit. "means for taking food," from pro "forward" + boskein "to nourish, feed," from boskesthai "graze, be fed," from stem *bot- (cf. botane "grass, fodder;" see botany).
steam (n.): O.E. steam "vapor, fume," from P.Gmc. *staumaz (cf. Du. stoom), of unknown origin. The verb is from O.E. stemen, stymen "to emit a scent or odor;" slang meaning "to make angry" is from 1922. Steamy is first attested 1644; in the sense of "erotic, sexy," it is first recorded 1952. Steamboat is from 1787; steam-engine is from 1751; steamer is 1814 in the cookery sense, 1825 as "a vessel propelled by steam," hence steamer trunk (1885), one that carries the essentials for a voyage. Steam age first attested 1941. Steam heat as a method of temperature control recorded from 1904. Steam-roller is from 1866; as a verb, first recorded 1912.
stem (n.): O.E. stemn, stefn "stem of a plant," also "either end-post of a ship," from P.Gmc. *stamniz (cf. O.S. stamm, O.N. stafn "stem of a ship;" Dan. stamme, Swed. stam "trunk of a tree;" O.H.G. stam, Ger. Stamm), from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "support of a wineglass" is from 1835. Stem-winding watches (1875) were advanced and desirable when introduced, hence slang stem-winder "excellent thing" (1892). The nautical sense is preserved in the phrase stem to stern "along the full length" (of a ship), attested from 1627. The verbal phrase stems from, first recorded 1932, Amer.Eng., translates Ger. stammen aus, probably from a fig. sense represented by Eng. stem (n.) in the sense of "stock of a family, line of descent" (c.1540; cf. family tree, and Ger. stammvater "tribal ancestor," lit. "stem-father").
stiff (adj.): O.E. stif "rigid, inflexible," from P.Gmc. *stifaz "inflexible" (cf. Du. stijf, O.H.G. stif, Ger. steif "stiff;" O.N. stifla "choke"), from PIE *stipos-, from root *steip- "press together, pack, cram" (cf. Skt. styayate "coagulates," stima "slow;" Gk. stia, stion "small stone," steibo "press together;" L. stipare "pack down, press," stipes "post, tree trunk;" Lith. stipti "stiffen," stiprus "strong;" O.C.S. stena "wall"). Of battles and competitions, from c.1250; of liquor, from 1813. To keep a stiff upper lip is attested from 1815.
stubble: c.1300, "stumps of grain stalks left in the ground after reaping," from O.Fr. estuble "stubble" (Fr. éteule), from L. stupla, reduced form of stipula "stalk, straw;" related to stipes "trunk, stick." Applied from c.1600 to bristles on a man's unshaven face.
stump (n.): c.1350, "remaining part of a severed arm or leg," from or cognate with M.L.G. stump (from adj. meaning "mutilated, blunt, dull"), M.Du. stomp "stump," from P.Gmc. *stump- (cf. O.N. stumpr, O.H.G., Ger. stumpf "stump," Ger. Stummel "piece cut off"), perhaps related to the root of stub or stamp, but the connection in each case presents difficulties. Earliest form of the word in Eng. is a now-obs. verb meaning "to stumble over a tree-stump or other obstacle," attested from c.1250. Meaning "part of a tree trunk left in the ground after felling" is from 1440. Sense of "walk clumsily" is first recorded 1600; that of "baffle" is first recorded 1807, perhaps in reference to plowing newly cleared land.
Saratoga: kind of large trunk, 1858, so called because it was much used by ladies traveling to the summer resort of Saratoga, N.Y.
schnook: 1948, probably from Yiddish shnuk "elephant's trunk," or altered from schmuck (q.v.), or perhaps from Ger. schnucke "a small sheep," used in U.S. Yiddish for "a customer easily persuaded, a sucker."
chock: 1674, possibly ult. from O.N.Fr. choque "a block," from O.Fr. çoche "log," from Gaul. *tsukka "a tree trunk, stump."
block: "solid piece," c.1300, from O.Fr. bloc "log, block," via M.Du. bloc "trunk of a tree" or O.H.G. bloh, both from PIE *bhlugo-, from *bhel "a thick plank, beam." Slang sense of "head" is from 1630s. The meaning in city block is 1796, from the notion of a "compact mass" of buildings; slang meaning "fashionable promenade" is 1869. Extended sense of "obstruction" is first recorded 1640s. The verb "to obstruct" is from 1560s. Blockage is recorded from 1874. Blockhouse is c.1500, of unknown origin.
boat: O.E. bat, from P.Gmc. *bait- (cf. O.N. beit), possibly from PIE base *bheid- "to split" (see fissure), with the sense of making a boat by hollowing out a tree trunk; or it may be an extension of the name for a part of a ship.
body: O.E. bodig "trunk, chest" (of a man or animal), originally "cask;" related to O.H.G. botah, of unknown origin. Not elsewhere in Gmc., and the word has died out in Ger., replaced by leib, originally "life," and körper, from Latin. In Eng., extension to "person" is from late 13c. Contrasted with soul since at least mid-13c. Meaning "corpse" (short for dead body) is from late 13c. Transferred to matter generally in M.E. (e.g. heavenly body, late 14c.). Body politic "the nation, the state" first recorded 1530s. Body image was coined 1935. Body language is attested from 1967, perhaps from Fr. langage corporel (1966).
phalanx: 1553, from Gk. phalanx (gen. phalangos) "line of battle, battle array," also "finger or toe bone," originally "round piece of wood, trunk, log," of unknown origin, perhaps from PIE base *bhelg- "plank, beam" (cf. O.E. balca "balk;" see balk). In anatomy, originally the whole row of finger joints, which fit together like infantry in close order. Fig. sense of "number of persons banded together in a common cause" is attested from 1600 (cf. Sp. Falangist, member of a fascist organization founded in 1933).
torso: 1797, from It. torso "trunk of a statue," originally "stalk, stump," from V.L. *tursus, from L. thyrsus "stalk, stem," from Gk. thyrsos (see thyrsus).
bole: c.1314, from O.N. bolr "tree trunk," from P.Gmc. *bulas, from PIE *bhel- "to blow, swell" (cf. Gk. phyllon "leaf," phallos "swollen penis;" L. flos "flower," florere "to blossom, flourish," folium "leaf;" O.Prus. balsinis "cushion;" O.N. belgr "bag, bellows;" O.E. bolla "pot, cup, bowl;" O.Ir. bolgaim "I swell," blath "blossom, flower," bolach "pimple," bolg "bag;" Bret. bolc'h "flax pod;" Serb. buljiti "to stare, be bug-eyed;" Serbo-Croat. blazina "pillow").
bracket: 1580, bragget, probably from M.Fr. braguette "codpiece armor," from a fancied resemblance of that article to architectural supports (Sp. cognate bragueta meant both "codpiece" and "bracket"), dim. of brague "knee pants," ultimately from Gaulish *braca "pants," itself from Gmc. (cf. O.E. broc "garment for the legs and trunk"). The connecting notion may be of two limbs, or of appliances used in pairs. The typographical bracket is first recorded 1750, so called for its resemblance to double supports in carpentry. Senses affected by L. brachium "arm."
code: c.1300, from O.Fr. code "system of laws," from L. codex, earlier caudex "book, book of laws," lit. "tree trunk," hence, wooden tablet for writing. The sense in "secret code" is 1808. Codify first attested c.1800.
rump: "hind-quarters, buttocks of an animal," c.1440, from a Scand. source (cf. Dan., Norw. rumpe, Swed. rumpa), cognate with M.Du. romp, Ger. Rumpf "trunk, torso." Sense of "small remnant" derives from "tail" and is first recorded 1649 in ref. to the Eng. Rump Parliament (December 1648-April 1653).
breeches: c.1200, a double plural, from O.E. brec, which was already pl. of broc "garment for the legs and trunk," from P.Gmc. *brokiz (cf. O.N. brok, Du. broek, O.H.G. bruoh, Ger. Bruch, obsolete since 18c. except in Swiss dialect), perhaps from PIE base *bhreg- (see break). The P.Gmc. word is a parallel form to Celt. *bracca, source (via Gaulish) of L. braca (cf. Fr. braies), and some propose that the Gmc. word group is borrowed from Gallo-L. Expanded sense of "part of the body covered by breeches, posterior" led to senses in childbirthing (1673) and gunnery ("the part of a firearm behind the bore," 1570s). As the popular word for "trousers" in Eng., displaced in U.S. by pants c.1840. The Breeches Bible (Geneva Bible of 1560) so called on account of rendition of Gen. iii.7 (already in Wyclif) "They sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues breeches."
bronco: 1850, Amer.Eng., "untamed or half-tamed horse," from Sp. bronco "rough, rude," originally a noun meaning "a knot in wood," perhaps from V.L. *bruncus "a knot, projection," apparently from a cross of L. broccus "projecting" + truncus "trunk of a tree."
snout: c.1220, "trunk or projecting nose of an animal," from M.L.G. and M.Du. snute "snout," from P.Gmc. *snut- (cf. Ger. Schnauze, Norw. snut, Dan. snude "snout"), related to O.E. gesnot (see snot).
trounce: 1551, "to trouble, afflict, harass," later "to beat, thrash" (1568), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to M.Fr. troncer "to cut, cut off a piece from," from tronce "piece of timber," from O.Fr. tronc (see trunk).
truncate: 1486, from L. truncatus "cut off," pp. of truncare "to maim, cut off," from truncus "mutilated, cut off" (see trunk).
truncheon: c.1300, "shaft of a spear," also "short stick, cudgel," from O.N.Fr. tronchon, O.Fr. tronchon (11c.) "a piece cut off, thick stick, stump," from V.L. *truncionem (nom. *truncio), from L. truncus (see trunk). Meaning "staff as a symbol of office" is recorded from 1575; sense of "policeman's club" is recorded from 1880.
trunnion: 1625, "either of two round projections of a cannon," from Fr. trognon "core of fruit, stump, tree trunk," from M.Fr. troignon (14c.), probably, from L. truncus (see trunk).
bulwark: c.1416, from M.Du. bulwerke or M.H.G. bolwerc, from bole "plank, tree trunk" + werc "work." Figurative sense is from 1577.
tunnel (n.): c.1440, "funnel-shaped net for catching birds," from M.Fr. tonnelle "net," or tonel "cask," dim. of O.Fr. tonne "tun, cask for liquids," possibly from the same source as O.E. tunne (see tun). Sense of "tube, pipe" (1545) developed in Eng. and led to sense of "underground passage," which is first attested 1765, about five years after the first modern tunnel was built (on the Grand Trunk Canal in England). This sense subsequently has been borrowed into Mod.Fr. (1878). The earlier native word for this was mine. Meaning "burrow of an animal" is from 1873. The verb meaning "excavate underground" is first attested 1795. Tunnel vision first recorded 1949. The fig. phrase light at the end of the tunnel is attested from 1922.
stock (n.1): O.E. stocc "stump, post, stake, tree trunk, log," also "pillory" (usually plural, stocks), from P.Gmc. *stukkaz "tree trunk" (cf. O.N. stokkr "block of wood, trunk of a tree," O.S., O.Fris. stok, M.Du. stoc "tree trunk, stump," Du. stok "stick, cane," O.H.G. stoc "tree trunk, stick," Ger. Stock "stick, cane;" also Du. stuk, Ger. Stück "piece"), from PIE *(s)teu- (see steep (adj.)). Meaning "ancestry, family" (1382) is a fig. use of the "tree trunk" sense (cf. family tree). This is also the root of the meaning "heavy part of a tool," and "part of a rifle held against the shoulder" (1541). Stock, lock, and barrel "the whole of a thing" is recorded from 1817. Meaning "framework on which a boat was constructed" (1422) led to fig. phrase on stocks "planned and commenced" (1669). Stock-still (c.1470) is lit. "as still as a tree trunk."
stock (n.2): "supply for future use" (1428), "sum of money" (1463), M.E. developments of stock (n.1), but the ultimate sense connection is uncertain. Perhaps the notion is of the "trunk" from which gains are an outgrowth, or obs. sense of "money-box" (c.1400). Meaning "subscribed capital of a corporation" is from 1612. Stock-broker is from 1706; stock exchange is from 1773. The verb meaning "to supply (a store) with stock" is from 1622; in stock "in the possession of a trader" is from 1618. Meaning "broth made by boiling meat or vegetables" is from 1764. Theatrical use, in ref. to a company regularly acting together at a given theater, is attested from 1761. In ref. to conversation or literature, "recurring, commonplace" (e.g. stock phrase), it is attested from 1738, on notion of "kept in store for constant use." Taking stock "making an inventory" is attested from 1736. As the collective term for the movable property of a farm, it is recorded from 1519; hence livestock (1523).
stocking: "close-fitting garment covering the foot and leg," 1583, from stocka "leg covering, stock," from O.E. stocu "sleeve," related to O.E. stocc "trunk, log" (see stock (n.1)). Probably so called because of a fancied resemblance of legs to tree trunks, or a reference to the punishing stocks. Cognates include O.N. stuka, O.H.G. stuhha, from the same P.Gmc. source. Restriction to women's hose is 20c. As a receptacle for Christmas presents, attested from 1853; hence stocking stuffer first recorded 1976.
stammtisch: 1938, "table reserved for regular customers in a Ger. restaurant," from Ger. Stammtisch, from Stamm "cadre," lit. "tree, trunk" + tisch "table."
stocky: c.1400, "made of wood," from stock (n.1). Of plants, "of stout and sturdy growth" (not weedy) it is recorded from 1620s. Of persons, "thick-set," 1670s, suggestive of tree trunks, but cf. also stock in sense of "trunk of the human body" (late 14c.).
trebuchet: "medieval stone-throwing engine of war," c.1300 (in Anglo-L. from 1224), from O.Fr. trebuchet (12c.) "siege engine," from trabucher "to overturn, overthrow" (11c.), from tra- (from L. trans-, here expressing "displacement") + O.Fr. buc "trunk, bulk," from W.Gmc. *buh- (cf. Ger. bauch "belly").
buckboard: 1839, "plank on wheels," from board (n.) + buck "body of a cart or wagon" (1691), perhaps a dial. survival of O.E. buc "belly, body, trunk." As a type of vehicle constructed this way, from 1874.