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Stead

//stɛd// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A locality in Burley parish, Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE1446). countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A place, or spot, in general; location. archaic, literary

    "For he ne wonneth in one certaine stead, / But restlesse walketh all the world around[…]."

  2. 2
    One's partner in a romantic relationship. Singapore, colloquial

    "C'mon lah!! Wake up.. Y R U stupid girls so CHEAP!! Imagine a baby making out with an adult! Want to have stead,.. Go find 1 16yr old rich kid lah!! At for let those men take advantage!! Remember Men CANNOT be Trusted!! Boys maybe can."

  3. 3
    the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another wordnet
  4. 4
    A place where a person normally rests; a seat. obsolete

    "There now the hart, fearlesse of greyhound, feeds, / And loving pelican in safety breeds; / There shrieking satyres fill the people's emptie steads."

  5. 5
    An inhabited place; a settlement, city, town etc. obsolete
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    An estate, a property with its grounds; a farm; a homestead. archaic

    "But of course I could not do this by myself, so I took a Hottentot—a very clever man when he was not drunk—who lived on the stead, into my confidence."

  2. 7
    The frame on which a bed is laid; a bedstead. obsolete

    "The genial bed / Sallow the feet, the borders, and the stead."

  3. 8
    The position or function (of someone or something), as taken on by a successor.

    "She was so wretched and so vehement, complained so much of injustice in being expected to go away instead of Anne; Anne, who was nothing to Louisa, while she was her sister, and had the best right to stay in Henrietta's stead!"

  4. 9
    A place as it relates to a role, service, or ability; capacity. figuratively

    "One may not expect to entirely stop the oncoming energy but the outgoing stands in a different stead, for in this a certain amount of ruling is possible by the native."

  5. 10
    A relational or circumstantial position; standing. figuratively, uncountable

    "Though small and delicate-looking, she gave an impression of intense earnestness and latent toughness, qualities that stood her in good stead when she dared to challenge the most intrusive communist society in eastern Europe."

  6. 11
    A place as it relates to situation, circumstance, or status; condition. countable, figuratively

    "Anthropology in India started in a different stead than what was the situation of its emergence in other countries."

Verb
  1. 1
    To help, support, benefit or assist; to be helpful. obsolete

    "May you stead me? will you pleasure me? shall I know your answer?"

  2. 2
    To fill the stead or place of something. obsolete

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English sted, stede (noun) and steden (verb), from Old English stede, from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing, location”). Doublet of stad. cognates and related terms Cognate with Scots steid (“location, place”), North Frisian Stair, Stat, steed, stää (“city, town; place, stead”), Saterland Frisian Steede (“place, stead”), Stääd (“city, town”), West Frisian stêd (“city, town”), Bavarian Stådt (“city, town”), Dutch stad, stede (“city, town”), German Stadt (“city, town”), Statt (“abode, place, stead”), Stätte (“place, spot, venue”), German Low German Stee (“location, place”), Luxembourgish Stad (“city, town”), Vilamovian śtaod (“city, town”), Yiddish שטאָט (shtot, “city, town”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål stad (“city, town”), sted (“place”), Faroese stað (“place”), staður (“location, place; town”), Icelandic staður (“location, place”), Norn sta (“domicile, farm”), Norwegian Nynorsk stad (“place; city, town”), Swedish stad, stadh, stedt (“city, town”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌸𐍃 (staþs, “location, place”). See the doublet stasis.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sted, stede (noun) and steden (verb), from Old English stede, from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing, location”). Doublet of stad. cognates and related terms Cognate with Scots steid (“location, place”), North Frisian Stair, Stat, steed, stää (“city, town; place, stead”), Saterland Frisian Steede (“place, stead”), Stääd (“city, town”), West Frisian stêd (“city, town”), Bavarian Stådt (“city, town”), Dutch stad, stede (“city, town”), German Stadt (“city, town”), Statt (“abode, place, stead”), Stätte (“place, spot, venue”), German Low German Stee (“location, place”), Luxembourgish Stad (“city, town”), Vilamovian śtaod (“city, town”), Yiddish שטאָט (shtot, “city, town”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål stad (“city, town”), sted (“place”), Faroese stað (“place”), staður (“location, place; town”), Icelandic staður (“location, place”), Norn sta (“domicile, farm”), Norwegian Nynorsk stad (“place; city, town”), Swedish stad, stadh, stedt (“city, town”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌸𐍃 (staþs, “location, place”). See the doublet stasis.

Etymology 3

Clipping of steady.

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