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Stay
Definitions
- 1 Steep; ascending. UK, dialectal
"The Castle of Edr. is naturally a great strenth situate upon the top of a high Rock perpendicular on all sides, except on the entry from the burgh, which is a stay ascent and is well fortified with strong Walls, three gates each one within another, with Drawbridges, and all necessary fortifications."
- 2 (of a roof) Steeply pitched. UK, dialectal
- 3 Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer. UK, dialectal
- 4 Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud. UK, dialectal
- 1 Steeply. UK, dialectal
- 1 A surname.
- 1 Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time.
"I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii."
- 2 A prop; a support.
"My onely strength and stay."
- 3 A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel.
- 4 continuing or remaining in a place or state wordnet
- 5 A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.
"The governor granted a stay of execution."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.
"Where are the stays for my collar?"
- 7 A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element.
"The engineer insisted on using stays for the scaffolding."
- 8 (nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar wordnet
- 9 A stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress. archaic
"stand at a stay"
- 10 A corset. in-plural
"Her figure was tall, yet not too tall; comely and well-developed, yet not fat; her head set on her shoulders with an easy, pliant firmness; her waist, perfection in the eyes of a man, for it occupied its natural place, it filled out its natural circle, it was visibly and delightfully undeformed by stays."
- 11 The transverse piece in a chain-cable link.
- 12 a thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset) wordnet
- 13 A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.
- 14 A fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on. archaic
- 15 a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted wordnet
- 16 A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.
- 17 the state of inactivity following an interruption wordnet
- 18 Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
"The wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king."
- 19 Hindrance; let; check. obsolete
"They were able to read good authors without any stay, if the book were not false."
- 1 To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. intransitive
"We stayed in Hawaii for a week. I can only stay for an hour."
- 2 To brace or support with a stay or stays
"stay a mast"
- 3 stay the same; remain in a certain state wordnet
- 4 To continue to have a particular quality. copulative, intransitive
"Wear gloves so your hands stay warm."
- 5 To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays. transitive
Show 29 more definitions
- 6 stop or halt wordnet
- 7 To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady. transitive
"Lord Mayor of London. See, where he stands between two clergymen! Duke of Buckingham. Two props of virtue for a Christian prince, To stay him from the fall of vanity:"
- 8 To tack; put on the other tack. transitive
"to stay ship"
- 9 overcome or allay wordnet
- 10 To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time. transitive
"[…] he has devoured a whole loaf of bread and butter, as fast as Phoebe could cut it, and it has not staid his stomach for a minute […]"
- 11 To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship. intransitive
- 12 fasten with stays wordnet
- 13 To stop or delay something.; To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder. transitive
"Your ships are stay’d at Venice."
- 14 be in a certain place and not leave wordnet
- 15 To stop or delay something.; To restrain; withhold; check; stop. transitive
"1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Book 5, in The Works of Mr. Richard Hooker, London: Andrew Crook, 1666, p. , […] all that may but with any the least shew of possibility stay their mindes from thinking that true, which they heartily wish were false, but cannot think it so […]"
- 16 stop a judicial process wordnet
- 17 To stop or delay something.; To cause to cease; to put an end to. transitive
"Now stay your strife […]"
- 18 hang on during a trial of endurance wordnet
- 19 To stop or delay something.; To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back. transitive
"The governor stayed the execution until the appeal could be heard."
- 20 dwell wordnet
- 21 To hold the attention of. transitive
- 22 continue in a place, position, or situation wordnet
- 23 To bear up under; to endure; to hold out against; to resist. obsolete, transitive
"She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,"
- 24 To wait for; await. obsolete, transitive
"My father stays my coming;"
- 25 To remain for the purpose of; to stay to take part in or be present at (a meal, ceremony etc.). obsolete, transitive
"I stay dinner there."
- 26 To rest; depend; rely. intransitive, obsolete
"Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:"
- 27 To stop; come to a stand or standstill. intransitive, obsolete
- 28 To come to an end; cease. archaic, intransitive
"That day the storm stayed."
- 29 To dwell; linger; tarry; wait. archaic, intransitive
"Yet not to be wholly silent of all your Charities I must stay a little on one Action, which preferr’d the Relief of Others, to the Consideration of your Self."
- 30 To make a stand; to stand firm. dated, intransitive
- 31 To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power. intransitive
"That horse stays well."
- 32 To wait; rest in patience or expectation. intransitive, obsolete
"I’ll tell thee all my whole device / When I am in my coach, which stays for us."
- 33 To wait as an attendant; give ceremonious or submissive attendance. intransitive, obsolete
"I have a servant comes with me along, That stays upon me […]"
- 34 To live; reside. India, Scotland, Singapore, South-Africa, Southern-US, colloquial, intransitive
"Hey, where do you stay at?"
Etymology
From Middle English steyen, staien, from Old French estayer, estaier (“to fix, prop up, support, stay”), from estaye, estaie (“a prop, stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade (“a prop, stay, help, aid”) (compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stadi (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing”). Influenced by Old English stæġ ("a stay, rope"; see below). Cognate with Old English stede (“a place, spot, locality, fixed position, station, site, standing, status, position of a moving body, stopping, standing still, stability, fixity, firmness, steadfastness”), Swedish stödja (“to prop, support, brace, hold up, bolster”), Icelandic stöðug (“continuous, stable”). More at stead, steady. Sense of "remain, continue" may be due to later influence from Old French ester, esteir (“to stand, be, continue, remain”), from Latin stāre (“stand”), from the same Proto-Indo-European root above; however, derivation from this root is untenable based on linguistic and historical grounds. An alternative etymology derives Old French estaye, estaie, from Frankish *stakā, *stakō (“stake, post”), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (“stake, bar, stick, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“rod, pole, stick”), making it cognate with Old English staca (“pin, stake”), Old English stician (“to stick, be placed, lie, remain fixed”). Cognate with Albanian shtagë (“a long stick, a pole”). More at stake, stick.
From Middle English steyen, staien, from Old French estayer, estaier (“to fix, prop up, support, stay”), from estaye, estaie (“a prop, stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade (“a prop, stay, help, aid”) (compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stadi (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing”). Influenced by Old English stæġ ("a stay, rope"; see below). Cognate with Old English stede (“a place, spot, locality, fixed position, station, site, standing, status, position of a moving body, stopping, standing still, stability, fixity, firmness, steadfastness”), Swedish stödja (“to prop, support, brace, hold up, bolster”), Icelandic stöðug (“continuous, stable”). More at stead, steady. Sense of "remain, continue" may be due to later influence from Old French ester, esteir (“to stand, be, continue, remain”), from Latin stāre (“stand”), from the same Proto-Indo-European root above; however, derivation from this root is untenable based on linguistic and historical grounds. An alternative etymology derives Old French estaye, estaie, from Frankish *stakā, *stakō (“stake, post”), from Proto-Germanic *stakô (“stake, bar, stick, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“rod, pole, stick”), making it cognate with Old English staca (“pin, stake”), Old English stician (“to stick, be placed, lie, remain fixed”). Cognate with Albanian shtagë (“a long stick, a pole”). More at stake, stick.
From Middle English stay, from Old French estaye, estaie (“a prop, a stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade ("a prop, stay, help, aid"; compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Old Dutch *stad (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”). See above.
From Middle English stay, from Old English stæġ (“stay, a rope supporting a mast”), from Proto-West Germanic *stag, from Proto-Germanic *stagą (“stay, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *stek-, *stāk- (“stand, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”). Cognate with Dutch stag (“stay”), German Stag (“stay”), Swedish stag (“stay”), Icelandic stag (“stay”).
From Middle English stay, from Old English stæġ (“stay, a rope supporting a mast”), from Proto-West Germanic *stag, from Proto-Germanic *stagą (“stay, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *stek-, *stāk- (“stand, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”). Cognate with Dutch stag (“stay”), German Stag (“stay”), Swedish stag (“stay”), Icelandic stag (“stay”).
From Middle English *steȝe, from Old English *stǣġe, an apocopated variant of stǣġel (“steep, abrupt”), from Proto-West Germanic *staigil (“steep”), see sty.
From Middle English *steȝe, from Old English *stǣġe, an apocopated variant of stǣġel (“steep, abrupt”), from Proto-West Germanic *staigil (“steep”), see sty.
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