stay etymology

Etymology

The word "stay" has several origins:

• Old English "stīgan", meaning "to ascend, climb"
• Old Norse "steigr", meaning "step, ladder"
• Middle Dutch "stijgen", meaning "to rise, climb"

Meaning

"Stay" has several meanings:

• To remain in a place or position:
  • Example: "I'm going to stay at the library and finish my homework."
• To support or hold up:
  • Example: "The pillars stay up the roof of the house."
• To endure or last:
  • Example: "The memory of her love will stay with me forever."
• To postpone or delay:
  • Example: "Let's stay our decision for a few days."
• To stop or interrupt:
  • Example: "She stayed him in mid-sentence."
• (Nautical) To secure a ship with ropes or anchors:
  • Example: "The ship stayed in the harbor during the storm."

Origin

The various meanings of "stay" all stem from its original sense of "to rise" or "to climb."

• The sense of "to remain in a place" comes from the idea of staying in one's place on a ladder or staircase.
• The sense of "to support or hold up" comes from the idea of something staying in place above something else.
• The sense of "to endure or last" comes from the idea of something staying upright or in existence for a long time.
• The sense of "to postpone or delay" comes from the idea of staying in one place or position until a later time.
• The sense of "to stop or interrupt" comes from the idea of staying something from continuing to move or progress.
• The nautical sense of "to secure a ship" comes from the idea of staying the ship in place with ropes or anchors.

stay relate terms

• stays

  Etymology The word stays comes from the Middle English word stayen which itself der

• stay

  Etymology The word stay has several origins Old English stīgan meaning to ascen

• bodice

  Etymology The word bodice originates from the Old English word bodice meaning a sm

• mainstay

  Etymology The word mainstay originates from the nautical term main stay which refers

• main

  Etymology The word main derives from the Old French term mein or maen meaning gre

• stay

  Etymology The word stay has several origins Old English stīgan meaning to ascen

• staid

  Etymology The word staid originates from the Middle English word stade which means

• steel

  Etymology The word steel originates from the Old English word stȳle which means t

• change

  Etymology Etymology is the study of the origin and development of words It traces words

• remain

  Etymology The word remain is derived from the Old French word remeindre modern Frenc

• remanent

  Etymology The word remanent derives from the Latin word remanēre which means to re

• sweet talk

  Etymology The term sweet talk is a compound word derived from two root words sweet

• sojourn

  Etymology Old French sojornee Late Latin subdiurnatus Latin sub meaning und

• satisfy

  Etymology The word satisfy comes from the Latin word satisfacere which means to mak

• overlay

  Etymology Middle English overleien from Old English oferlǣċgan Ofer means o

• post

  Etymology From Middle English post from Anglo Norman and Old French post from Latin p