stop [OE] Despite the fact that stop is Old English and found in other Germanic languages, its origin is in Latin, being based on a presumed Late Latin verb stuppare ‘to stop or stuff with tow or oakum’ from Latin stuppa ‘tow’. The basic sense in Germanic languages is ‘to plug, fill up, close’, with the sense ‘come to a halt’ having developed only in English, although many Continental languages have since adopted or readopted the English form and sense.