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Origin and history of stick

stick(n.)

"piece of wood, generally rather long and slender," Middle English stikke, from Old English sticca "twig or slender branch from a tree or shrub," also "rod, peg, spoon," from Proto-Germanic *stikkon- "pierce, prick" (source also of Old Norse stik, Middle Dutch stecke, stec, Old High German stehho, German Stecken "stick, staff"), from PIE root *steig- "to stick; pointed" (see stick (v.)). If so, it originally referred to a sharp stick, perhaps one pointed for a particular purpose.

Also "a cudgel, staff used as a weapon," mid-12c. As "piece of rolled material in the form of a stick" by late 15c., of cinnamon. The meaning "staff used for pushing or striking in a game or sport" is from 1670s (originally billiards). The meaning "manual gearshift lever" is attested by 1914. As "person who is stiff, awkward, or incompetent," c. 1800. As "conductor's baton," 1849; as "cigarette," by 1919.

Also of a printer's tool for holding set type in place: a stick of type was about 2 column inches. As "support for a candle," early 12c. In candle-making, the rod to which wicks are attached for dipping, hence "the candles made at one dipping" (by 1711).

The alliterative pairing of sticks and stones is recorded from mid-12c.; originally it meant "every part of a building;" every stick meant "every bit of material" in a building (early 14c.), hence also "the whole, everything." Stick-bug is from 1870, American English, so called for its long, slender body; stick-figure in drawing is from 1922.

stick(v.)

Middle English stiken, from Old English stician "to pierce or puncture, to stab with a weapon; transfix; goad," also "to remain embedded, stay fixed, be fastened," from Proto-Germanic *stekanan "pierce, prick, be sharp" (source also of Old Saxon stekan, Old Frisian steka, Dutch stecken, Old High German stehhan, German stechen "to stab, prick").

This is reconstructed to be from PIE *steig- "to stick; pointed" (source also of Latin instigare "to goad," instinguere "to incite, impel;" Greek stizein "to prick, puncture," stigma "mark made by a pointed instrument;" Old Persian tigra- "sharp, pointed;" Avestan tighri- "arrow;" Lithuanian stingu, stigti "to remain in place;" Russian stegati "to quilt").

Etymologists have tried to connect this to *stegh-, reconstructed PIE root of words for sting, but Boutkan (2005) writes that the attempt has "formal problems" and the relationship "remains unclear."

Loosely, "put something where it will remain," with or without the notion of penetration. Hence the figurative sense of "remain permanently in mind" (c. 1300). The meaning "persist (in a course of action), insist upon" is mid-15c. The transitive sense of "to fasten (something) in place" is attested from late 13c. Related: Stuck; sticking.

To stick out "protrude, project" is recorded from 1560s. Slang stick around "remain" is from 1912; stick it as a rude item of advice is recorded by 1922. Sticking point, beyond which one refuses to go, is from 1956. Sticking-place, where any thing put will stay, is from 1570s; modern use generally is an echo of Shakespeare.

Entries linking to stick

sting(v.)

Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan "to stab, pierce, or prick with a point" (of weapons, bees, certain plants, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *stingan (source also of Old Norse stinga, Old High German stungen "to prick," Gothic us-stagg "to prick out," Old High German stanga, German stange "pole, perch," German stengel "stalk, stem"). This is perhaps is from PIE *stengh-, nasalized form of the root *stegh- "to stick, prick, sting."

In old use also of serpents, toads, and flies (late 12c.). The sense mostly specialized to stinging insects after 14c. The intransitive sense of "have a stinger, be capable of stinging" is by 1735; that of "be sharply painful" is from 1848. The slang meaning "to cheat, swindle" is from 1812. In Middle English also "have sexual intercourse with" (mid-13c.).

An Old English strong verb, past tense stang, past participle stungen; the past tense later was leveled to stung.

astigmatism(n.)

"defect in the structure of the eye whereby the rays of light do not converge to a point upon the retina," 1849, coined by the Rev. William Whewell, English polymath, from Greek a- "without" (see a- (3)) + stigmatos genitive of stigma "a mark, spot, puncture" (from PIE root *steig- "to stick; pointed;" see stick (v.)).