"S" Word Origins

stir

Old English

From Old English styrian, "to move, agitate, disturb" — related to German stören, "to disturb."

Stirling

Old Irish

Borrowed from Middle Scots Stirveling, from Early Scots Strivelin, Strivelyn, likely from Old Irish sreb, srib (“stream”) + linn (“pool, lake”). Cognate with Old French Estrivelin, Middle Welsh Ystriflin.

stirring

Origin

By surface analysis, stir + -ing.

stirrup

Old English

From Old English stigrap, literally "climbing rope" — combining a word related to "ascend" with "rope."

stitch

Old English

From Old English stiche, meaning "a prick, puncture, or sharp pain" — the same root gave us "stick."

stithy

Origin

From Middle English stithy, ultimately from Old Norse steði.

stoat

Origin

From Middle English stote (“the ermine, especially in its brown summer coat”), of uncertain origin. The word bears some resemblance to Old Norse stutr (“bull”), Swedish stut (“bull, steer”) and Danish stud (“steer”) (see also English stot), but the semantic link is difficult unless a common origin is from “(brown?) male mammal”. First attested in the mid 1400s.

stob

Origin

From Middle English; variant of stub.

stochastic

Greek

From Greek stokhastikos "able to guess, skilled at aiming", from stokhos "a mark or target aimed at".

stock

Old English

From Old English stocc, "tree trunk" — the sense of "supply" or "goods" grew out of the idea of a stockpile or storehouse.

stockade

French

From French estocade, related to "stock" (in the sense of a wooden post) plus the suffix "-ade."

stockbroker

Origin

A compound of "stock" (shares) and "broker" (a middleman who arranges deals).

stockfish

Origin

Inherited from Middle English stokfissh, stokfysch, from Middle Dutch stocvisch and/or Middle Low German stokvisch (“stick fish”), because the fish are dried on sticks or poles. Equivalent to stock + fish.

stockholder

Origin

A compound of "stock" (a company share) and "holder."

Stockholm

Origin · 1973

The verb sense is a back-formation from "Stockholm syndrome," a term coined after a 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in which hostages formed an unexpected bond with their captors.

stocking

Origin

From "stock" plus the suffix "-ing" — originally referred to hose or leg coverings.

stockman

Origin

A compound of "stock" (livestock) and "man."

stockpile

Origin

A compound of "stock" (supply) and "pile" (a heap).

stockroom

Origin

A compound of "stock" (goods) and "room."

Stockwell

Old English

From Old English stocc (“tree trunk, stump”) + wella (“well, spring, stream”).

stocky

Origin

From "stock" (tree trunk) plus "-y" — suggesting something built like a solid trunk.

Stoddard

Middle English

From Middle English, likely referring to a stud-herd keeper.

stodge

Origin

Late 17th century, of "symbolic" origin, suggested by stuff and podge. Compare stog.

stodgy

Origin

Unknown, but possibly from stodge (“to stuff”), from stog, or a blend of stuffy + podgy.

stog

Origin

Early 19th century, perhaps of expressive origin and influenced by stick and bog. Compare stodge.

stogie

Origin

From stoga + -ie.

stoic

Origin

From the Stoa Poikile ("painted porch") in Athens, where the philosopher Zeno taught the school of thought known as Stoicism.

stoical

Origin

From Middle English stoicalle, from Latin stōicus + -al. By surface analysis, stoic + -al.

stoicism

Origin

From Latin stōicismus. By surface analysis, stoic + -ism. First attested in the 1620s.

stoke

Dutch

From Middle Dutch stoken, "to poke or thrust," related to feeding a fire.

stoker

Dutch

From Middle Dutch stoker, "one who pokes or stokes," from stoken, "to stoke."

stokes

Origin

Named after the physicist George Gabriel Stokes.

stole

Latin

From Latin stola, from Greek stole, meaning "garment" or "equipment."

stolen

Old English

The past participle of "steal," from Old English stelan.

stolidity

Origin

From stolid + -ity, from Middle French stolidité, from Late Latin stoliditas.

stoma

Origin

From New Latin stoma, from Ancient Greek στόμα (stóma, “mouth”).

stomach

Greek

From Greek stomakhos, "throat, gullet," ultimately from stoma, "mouth."

stomachache

Origin

A compound of "stomach" and "ache."

stomachal

Origin

From stomach + -al, compare French stomacal.

stomachic

Origin

From Latin stomachicus.

stomp

Origin · 1800

A variant of "stamp," first recorded in the early 1800s.

stomper

Origin

From stomp + -er.

stone

Old English

From Old English stan, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to stiffen" — related to "stain" and "stein."

Stonebridge

Origin

From stone + bridge.

stonecraft

Origin

From stone + -craft.

stonecutter

Origin

From stone + cutter.

stoned

Origin · 1900

The drug-related sense arose in mid-20th-century American slang, possibly from the older phrase "stone drunk."

Stonehenge

Middle English

From Middle English Stonhenge, literally "hanging stones" — from stone plus an old word related to "hinge", possibly describing the huge lintel stones that appear to hang across the uprights.