Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for Stay (-ed, -ing, -s)
stay (-ed, -ing, -s), v. [L. stāre, to stand.]
- Withstand; defy; resist; restrain; delay; hold back; keep from proceeding.
- Last; endure; continue a long time.
- Abide; tarry; not return.
- Set; place; rest; stand.
- Sit; pause; hesitate.
- Settle; sink in; pile up in layers.
- Remain; stick around; refuse to leave.
- Survive; live through winter; do not migrate to warmer lands; [fig.] keep living; do not yet die.
- Linger; dally; spend time.
- Dwell; exist; [fig.] be hung; be secured; be displayed; be fixed permanently.
- Stop; halt; check; arrest; make cease; [fig.] drown.
- Support; hold; sustain; back; endorse.
- Keep burning; [fig.] remain alive.
- Phrase. “stay away”: forbear; abstain; not come near; desist from arriving; refrain from approaching.
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