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Stew
Definitions
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Stewart.
- 1 A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron. obsolete, uncountable, usually
- 2 A cloud of fine particles or droplets; dust, smoke, vapor, mist, or sea-spray. England, Scotland
"The Verna swerved close, her stern kicking up a stew as she started to back up."
- 3 A steward or stewardess on an airplane or boat. informal
"It is our considered and combined judgement that Germans and actors share honors for being the cheapest dates a stew can accept."
- 4 food prepared by stewing especially meat or fish with vegetables wordnet
- 5 A heated bath-room or steam-room; also, a hot bath. historical, uncountable, usually
"And when he came to the chamber there as this lady was the dores of yron vnlocked and vnbolted / And so syr launcelot wente in to the chambre that was as hote as ony stewe / And there syr launcelot toke the fayrest lady by the hand / that euer he sawe / and she was naked as a nedel And when he came to the chamber thereas this lady was, the doors of iron unlocked and unbolted. And so Sir Launcelot went into the chamber that was as hot as any stew. And there Sir Launcelot took the fairest lady by the hand that ever he saw, and she was naked as a needle"
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- 6 agitation resulting from active worry wordnet
- 7 A brothel. archaic, uncountable, usually
"[...] and the agrieved person shall doe more manly, to be extraordinary and singular in claiming the due right whereof he is frustrated, then to piece up his lost contentment by visiting the Stews, or stepping to his neighbours bed, which is the common shift in this mis-fortune, or els by suffering his usefull life to wast away and be lost under a secret affliction of an unconscionable size to humane strength."
- 8 A prostitute. obsolete, uncountable, usually
"But it was so plotted betwixt the Lady, her Husband, and Bristol, that instead of that beauty, he had a notorious Stew sent him, and surely his carriage there was so lascivious..."
- 9 A dish cooked by stewing. countable, uncountable, usually
"I noticed then that there was nothing to drink on the table but brandy, and nothing to eat but salted herrings, and a hot, sickly, highly peppered stew."
- 10 A pool in which fish are kept in preparation for eating. uncountable, usually
"It was used as a stew, so that the inhabitants of the castle could have fish on Fridays, and for this reason the architects had been careful not to let the drains and sewers run into it. It was stocked with fish every year."
- 11 An artificial bed of oysters. US, regional, uncountable, usually
- 12 A state of agitated excitement, worry, or confusion. slang, uncountable, usually
"to be in a stew"
- 13 Unwanted background noise recorded by the microphone. slang, uncountable, usually
"mike stew"
- 1 To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering. ergative, intransitive, transitive
"I'm going to stew some meat for the casserole."
- 2 cook slowly and for a long time in liquid wordnet
- 3 To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong. transitive
- 4 bear a grudge; harbor ill feelings wordnet
- 5 To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions. figuratively, intransitive
"It was an honest letter, written by an honest man, then stewing in the Plains on two hundred rupees a month (for he allowed his wife eight hundred and fifty), and in a silk banian and cotton trousers."
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- 6 be in a huff; be silent or sullen wordnet
- 7 To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger. figuratively, intransitive
Etymology
From Middle English stewe, stue, from Anglo-Norman estouve, Old French estuve (“bath, bathhouse”) (modern French étuve), from Medieval Latin stupha, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *extufāre, from ex- + Ancient Greek τῦφος (tûphos, “smoke, steam”), from τύφω (túphō, “to smoke”). See also Italian stufare, Portuguese estufar. Compare also Old English stuf-bæþ (“a hot-air bath, vapour bath”); see stove.
From Middle English stewen, stuwen, from the noun above; and also from Middle English stiven, styven (“to bathe, cook, stew”).
Probably related to Middle Dutch stuven (“be dusty”) and English stive. Perhaps the same word as stew (“steam-room; dish cooked by stewing”) above.
Clipping of steward or stewardess.
See also for "stew"
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Unscramble this word: stew