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Sturdy
Definitions
- 1 Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
"a sturdy oak tree"
- 2 Solid in structure or person.
"It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather."
- 3 Foolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn. obsolete
"This must be done, and I would fain see / Mortal so sturdy as to gainsay."
- 4 Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.
"a man of sturdy piety or patriotism"
- 1 substantially made or constructed wordnet
- 2 not making concessions wordnet
- 3 having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships wordnet
- 1 A surname from Middle English.
- 1 A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis. uncountable
Etymology
From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear. A speculative theory is that thrushes eat leftover winery grapes and thus became drunk, but this meets with objections. Disease in cows and sheep is by extension of sense of “daze”, while sense of “strongly built” is of late 14th century, and relationship to earlier sense is less clear, perhaps from sense of a firm strike (causing a daze) or a strong, violent person.
From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear. A speculative theory is that thrushes eat leftover winery grapes and thus became drunk, but this meets with objections. Disease in cows and sheep is by extension of sense of “daze”, while sense of “strongly built” is of late 14th century, and relationship to earlier sense is less clear, perhaps from sense of a firm strike (causing a daze) or a strong, violent person.
A nickname from Middle English stourdy (“bold, valiant, reckless”).
See also for "sturdy"
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