Advertisement

Origin and history of stillicide

stillicide(n.)

"the continual falling of drops," 1620s, from Latin stillicidium "a dripping, falling of drops, a liquid which falls in drops" from stilla "a drop" (see distill (v.)) + cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall").

In Roman law, the dropping of rainwater from one's roof on another's roof or land, as a right or nuisance, and the word was also used in this sense in Scottish law from 17c. Related: Stillicidious.

Stiricide, a 17c. dictionary word, seems to have meant more or less "the dropping of icicles from a house," also with cadere, and Latin stiria "icicle" (itself in English in various technical senses from 17c.), which sometimes is connected to the PIE root of stiff (adj.), but de Vaan suggests a connection of stiria "icicle"/stilla "dripping."

also from 1620s

Entries linking to stillicide

distill(v.)

also distil, late 14c., distillen, "to let fall in drops" (transitive); early 15c., "to drop, trickle, drip, fall in drops" (intransitive), from Old French distiller (14c.), from Latin distillare "trickle down in minute drops," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stillare "to drip, drop," from stilla "drop," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from a PIE root *sti-. De Vaan compares Greek stile "drop;" Lithuanian styri "to become stiff," Old Norse stira "to be rigid, stiff," but has doubts about all of them. From late 14c. as "obtain or extract by distillation;" from c. 1400 as "subject to distillation." Related: Distilled; distilling.

stiff(adj.)

Middle English stif, from Old English stif "rigid, inflexible, not easily bent," in physical senses often suggesting rigor mortis, from Proto-Germanic *stifaz "inflexible" (source also of Dutch stijf, Old Frisian stef, Old High German stif, German steif "stiff;" Old Norse stifla "choke").

The Germanic word is said to be from a PIE *stipos-, from the root *steip- "press together, pack, cram" (source also of Sanskrit styayate "coagulates," stima "slow;" Greek stia, stion "small stone," steibo "press together;" Latin stipare "pack down, compress," perhaps also stipes "post, tree trunk;" Lithuanian stipti "to stiffen, grow rigid," stiprus "strong;" Old Church Slavonic stena "wall"). However Boutkan suggests the possibility that the Germanic words are a metaphoric use from words for staff (n.).

By extension, "strong, violent; difficult to master or overcome:" In reference to battles and competitions, "fierce, stubborn, contested," mid-13c.; of winds or currents c. 1300; of liquor from 1813. In Middle English also "powerful, staunch, unmoving, resolute," and paired alliteratively with strong.

Of substances, "not fluid, thick and tenacious," early 15c. As "not natural or easy in movement," c. 1300. As "rigidly ceremonious, not easy or gracious in manner," c. 1600. To keep a stiff upper lip is attested from 1811. Related: Stiffly.

Advertisement

More to explore

asparagus
plant cultivated for its edible shoots, late 14c., aspergy; earlier sparage (late Old English), from Latin asparagus (in Medieval Latin often in the form sparagus), from Greek asparagos/aspharagos, which is of uncertain origin; perhaps with euphonic a- + PIE root *sp(h)er(e)g- "t
adamant
late 14c., "hard, unbreakable," from adamant (n.). The figurative sense of "unshakeable" (in belief, etc.) is by 1670s. Related: Adamantly; adamance...."a very hard stone," mid-14c., adamant, adamaunt, from Old French adamant "diamond; magnet" or directly from Latin adamantem (no
exuberant
mid-15c., "over-abundant," from Latin exuberantem (nominative exuberans) "superfluous; extraordinary," present participle of exuberare "be abundant, grow luxuriously," from ex, here probably "thoroughly" (see ex-), + uberare "be fruitful," related to uber "udder," from PIE root *
eminent
early 15c., "standing or rising above other places; exceeding other things in quality or degree;" from Old French éminent "prominent" (13c.) or directly from Latin eminentem (nominative eminens) "standing out, projecting, prominent, high," figuratively "distinguished, distinctive
fiscal
1560s, "pertaining to public revenue," from French fiscal, from Late Latin fiscalis "of or belonging to the state treasury," from Latin fiscus "state treasury," originally "money bag, purse, basket made of twigs (in which money was kept)," which is of unknown origin. The etymolog
amethyst
violet-colored quartz, late 13c., amatist, from Old French ametiste (12c., Modern French améthyste) and directly from Medieval Latin amatistus, from Latin amethystus, from Greek amethystos "amethyst," noun use of an adjective meaning "not intoxicating; not drunken," from a- "not"
testimony
c. 1400, "proof or demonstration of some fact, evidence, piece of evidence;" early 15c., "legal testimony, sworn statement of a witness," from Old North French testimonie (Old French testimoine 11c.), from Latin testimonium "evidence, proof, witness, attestation," from testis "a
integrity
c. 1400, integrite, "innocence, blamelessness; chastity, purity," from Old French integrité and directly from Latin integritatem (nominative integritas) "soundness, wholeness, completeness," figuratively "purity, correctness, blamelessness," from integer "whole" (see integer). Th
vehement
early 15c., from Old French vehement, veement "impetuous, ardent" (12c.), from Latin vehementem (nominative vehemens) "impetuous, eager, violent, furious, ardent, carried away," perhaps [Barnhart] from a lost present middle participle of vehere "to carry" (from PIE root *wegh- "t
preposition
late 14c., preposicioun, in grammar, "indeclinable part of speech regularly placed before and governing a noun in an oblique case and showing its relation to a verb, adjective, or other noun," from Latin praepositionem (nominative praepositio) "a putting before, a prefixing," nou

Share stillicide

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near stillicide
Advertisement