Emily Dickinson Lexicon

STILL'ING, n.

1. The act of calming; silencing or quieting.
2. A stand for casks. [Not used in America.]

STILL'ING, ppr.

Calming; silencing; quieting.

STILL'-LIFE, n. [still and life.]

1. Things that have only vegetable life. – Mason.
2. Dead animals or paintings representing the dead. – Gray.

STILL'NESS, n.

1. Freedom from noise or motion; calmness; quiet; silence; as, the stillness of the night, the air or the sea.
2. Freedom from agitation or excitement; as, the stillness of the passions.
3. Habitual silence; taciturnity. The gravity and stillness of your youth, / The world hath noted. – Shak.

STILL'-STAND, n.

Absence of motion. [Little used.].

STIL'LY, adv.

1. Silently; without noise.
2. Calmly; quietly; without tumult.

STILP-NO-SID'E-RITE, n. [Gr. στιλπνος, shining, and siderite.]

A mineral of a brownish black color, massive, in curving concretions, splendent and resinous.

STILT, n. [G. stelze; D. stelt, stelten; Dan. stylter.]

A stilt is a piece of wood with a shoulder, to support the foot in walking. Boys sometimes use stilts for raising their feet above the mud in walking, but they are rarely seen. Men must not walk upon stilts. – L'Estrange.

STILT, v.t.

1. To raise on stilts; to elevate. – Young.
2. To raise by unnatural means.

STILT'ED, pp.

1. Raised on stilts.
2. Unreasonably elevated.

STILT'ING, ppr.

Raising on stilts.

STIM'U-LANT, a. [L. stimulans.]

In medicine, producing a quickly diffused and transient is crease of vital energy, and strength of action in the heart and arteries.

STIM'U-LANT, n.

In medicine, an article which produces a quickly diffused and transient increase of vital energy and strength of action in the heart and arterial system.

STIM'U-LATE, v.t. [L. stimulo, to prick, to goad, to excite; stimulus, a goad.]

1. Literally, to prick or goad. Hence,
2. To excite, rouse or animate to action or more vigorous exertion by some pungent motive or by persuasion; as, to stimulate one by the hope of reward, or by the prospect of glory.
3. In medicine, to produce a quickly diffused and transient increase of vital energy, and strength of action in the heart and arteries.

STIM'U-LA-TED, pp.

Goaded; roused or excited to more vigorous exertion.

STIM'U-LA-TING, ppr.

Goading; exciting to more vigorous exertion.

STIM-U-LA'TION, n.

1. The act of goading or exciting.
2. In medicine, a quickly diffused and transient increase of vital energy and strength of action in the heart and arteries.

STIM'U-LA-TIVE, a.

Having the quality of stimulating.

STIM'U-LA-TIVE, n.

That which stimulates; that which rouses into more vigorous action.

STIM'U-LA-TOR, n.

One that stimulates.

STIM'U-LUS, n. [L. This word may be formed on the root of stem, a shoot.]

1. Literally, a goad; hence, something that rouses the mind or spirits; as, the hope of gain is a powerful stimulus to labor and action.
2. In medicine, that which produces a quickly diffused or transient increase of vital energy and strength of action the circulating system.

STING, n. [Sax. sting, stincg; Ice. staung, a spear; W. ystang; D. steng, a pole or perch; Sw. stång; It. stanga, a bar. These words are all of one family.]

1. A sharp pointed weapon or instrument with which certain animals are armed by nature for their defense, and which they thrust from the hinder part of the body to pierce any animal that annoys or provokes them. In most instances, this instrument is a tube, through which a poisonous matter is discharged, which inflames the flesh, and in some instances proves fatal to life.
2. The thrust of a sting into the flesh. The sting of most insects produces acute pain.
3. Any thing that gives acute pain. Thus we speak of the stings of remorse; the stings of reproach.
4. The point in the last verse; as, the sting of an epigram. – Dryden.
5. That which gives the principal pain or constitutes the principal terror. The sting of death is sin. – 1 Cor. xv.

STING, v.t. [pret. and pp. stung. Stang is obsolete. Goth. stigcwan; Sax. stingan, styngan, to rush or thrust, hence to sting; G. stechen, to stick, to sting; stachel, a prick, goad, sting; D. stecken, steckel; Dan. stikker, to stick, to sting; sting, a thrust, a stitch, a sting; Sw. sticka. The Dutch has steng, a pole or perch; Sw. stång, id.; and stånga, to push with the horns, to gore. We see that sting is stick altered in orthography and pronunciation.]

1. To pierce with the sharp pointed instrument with which certain animals are furnished, such as bees, wasps, scorpions and the like. Bees will seldom sting persons unless they are first provoked.
2. To pain acutely; as, the conscience is slung with remorse. Slander stings the brave. – Pope.

STING'ER, n.

That which stings, vexes or gives acute pain.

STIN'GI-LY, adv. [from stingy.]

With mean covetousness; in a niggardly manner.