Emily Dickinson Lexicon

STAY'ED, pp.

Staid; fixed; settled; sober. It is now written Staid, – which see.

STAY'ED-LY, adv.

Composedly; gravely; moderately; prudently; soberly. [Liltle used.]

STAY'ED-NESS, n.

1. Moderation; gravity; sobriety; prudence. [See Staidness.]
2. Solidity; weight. [Little used.] – Camden.

STAY'ER, n.

One that stops or restrains; one who upholds or supports; that which props.

STAY-LACE, n.

A lace for fastening the boddice in female dress. – Swift.

STAY'LESS, a.

Without stop or delay. [Little used.]

STAY-MAK-ER, n.

One whose occupation is to make stays. – Spenser.

STAYS, n. [plur.]

1. A boddice; a kind of waistcoat stiffened with whalebone or other thing, worn by females. – Gay.
2. Stays, of a ship. [See Stay.]
3. Station; fixed anchorage. – Sidney.
4. Any support; that which keeps another extended. Weavers, stretch your stays upon the weft. – Dryden.

STAY-SAIL, n. [stay and sail.]

Any sail extended on a stay. – Mar. Dict.

STAY-TACK-LE, n. [stay and tackle.]

A large tackle attached to the main-stay by means of a pendant, and used to hoist heavy bodies, as boats, butts of water and the like. – Mar. Dict.

STEAD, or STED, n.¹ [Goth. stads; Sax. and Dan. sted; G. statt; D. stede. See Stay.]

1. Place; in general. Fly this fearful stead. – Spenser. [In this sense not used.]
2. Place or room which another had or might have, noting substitution, replacing or filling the place of another; as, David died and Solomon reigned in his stead. God hath appointed me another seed in stead of Abel, whom Cain slew. – Gen. iv.
3. The frame on which a bed is laid. Swallow the feet, the borders and the stead. – Dryden. [But we never use this word by itself in this sense. We always use bedstead.] To stand in stead, to be of use or great advantage. The smallest act of charity shall stand us in great stead. – Atterbury.

STEAD, or STED, n.²

In names of places distant from a river or the sea, signifies place, as above; but in names of places situated on a river or harbor, it is from Sax. stathe, border, bank, shore. Both words perhaps are from one root.

STEAD, v.t. [sted.]

1. To help; to support; to assist; as, it nothing steads us. [Obs.] – Shak.
2. To fill the place of another. [Obs.] – Shak.

STEAD'FAST, or STED'FAST, a. [stead and fast.]

1. Fast fixed; firm; firmly fixed or established; as, the steadfast globe of earth. Spenser.
2. Constant; firm; resolute; not fickle or wavering. Abide steadfast to thy neighbor in the time of his trouble. – Ecclus. Him resist, steadfast in the faith. – 1 Pet v.
3. Steady; as, steadfast sight. – Dryden.

STEAD'FAST-LY, adv.

Firmly; with constancy or steadiness of mind. Steadfastly believe that whatever God has revealed is infallibly true. – Wake.

STEAD'FAST-NESS, n.

1. Firmness of standing; fixedness in place.
2. Firmness of mind or purpose; fixedness in principle; constancy; resolution; as, the steadfastness of faith. He adhered to his opinions with steadfastness.

STEAD'I-LY, adv.

1. With firmness of standing or position; without tottering, shaking or leaning. He kept his arm steadily directed to the object.
2. Without wavering, inconstancy or irregularity; without deviating. He steadily pursues his studies.

STEAD'I-NESS, n.

1. Firmness of standing or position; a state of being not tottering or easily moved or shaken. A man stands with steadiness; he walks with steadiness.
2. Firmness of mind or purpose; constancy; resolution. We say, a man has steadiness of mind, steadiness in opinion, steadiness in the pursuit of objects.
3. Consistent uniform conduct. Steadiness is a point of prudence as well as of courage. – L'Estrange.

STEAD'Y, a. [Sax. stedig.]

1. Firm in standing or position; fixed; not tottering or shaking; applicable to any object.
2. Constant in mind, purpose or pursuit; not fickle, changeable or wavering; not easily moved or persuaded to alter a purpose; as, a man steady in his principles, steady in his purpose, steady in the pursuit of an object, steady in his application to business.
3. Regular; constant; undeviating; uniform; as, the steady course of the sun. Steer the ship a steady course. A large river runs with a steady stream.
4. Regular; not fluctuating; as, a steady breeze of wind.

STEAD'Y, v.t.

To hold or keep from shaking, reeling or falling; to support; to make or keep firm. Steady my hand.

STEAK, n. [Dan. steeg, steg, a piece of roast meat; steger, to roast or dress by the fire, to broil, to fry; Sw. stek, a steak; steka, to roast or broil; G. stück, a piece.]

A slice of beef, pork, venison, &c., broiled or cut for broiling.

STEAL, v.i.

1. To withdraw or pass privily; to slip along or away unperceived. Fixed of mind to fly all company, one night she stole away. – Sidney. From whom you now must steal and take no leave. – Shak. A soft and solemn breathing sound / Rose like a steam of rich distill'd perfumes, / And stole upon the air. – Milton.
2. To practice theft; to take feloniously. He steals for a livelihood. Thou shalt not steal. – Exod. xx.

STEAL, v.t. [pret. stole; pp. stolen, stole. Sax. stælan, stelan; G. stehlen; D. steelen; Dan. stieler; Sw. stiäla; Ir. tiallam; probably from the root of L. tollo, to take, to lift.]

1. To take and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another. To constitute stealing or theft, the taking must be felonious, that is, with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without his consent. – Blackstone. Let him that stole, steal no more. – Eph. iv.
2. To withdraw or convey without notice or clandestinely. They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by submission. – Spenser.
3. To gain or win by address or gradual and imperceptible means. Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject. – Watts. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. – 2 Sam. xv.

STEAL'ER, n.

One that steals; a thief.

STEAL'ING, ppr.

Taking the goods of another feloniously; withdrawing imperceptibly; gaining gradually.