A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

staging --- to designate "stopping place or assembly point," 1945, from stage (n.)

stagnant --- 1666, from Fr. stagnant (1611), from L. stagnantem (nom. stagnans), prp. of stagnare (see stagnate).

stagnate --- 1665 (implied in stagnation), from L. stagnatum, stagnatus, pp. of stagnare "to stagnate," from stagnatum "standing water," from PIE base *stag- "to seep drip" (cf. Gk. stazein "to ooze, drip;" see stalactite).

staid --- 1541, "fixed, permanent," adj. use of stayed, pp. of stay (v.). Meaning "sober, sedate" first recorded 1557.

stain (v.) --- 1382, probably representing a merger of O.N. steina "to paint" and an aphetic form of M.E. disteynen "to discolor or stain," from O.Fr. desteign-, stem of desteindre "to remove the color," from des- (from L. dis- "remove") + O.Fr. teindre "to dye," from L. tingere (see tincture). The noun is from 1563. Stained glass is attested from 1791.

stainless steel --- 1917, a chromium-steel alloy (usually 14% chormium) used for cutlery, etc., so called because it is highly resistant to rust or tarnish.

stair --- O.E. stæger "flight of steps," also "a single step," from P.Gmc. *staigri (cf. O.N., O.Fris. stiga, M.Du. stighen, O.H.G. stigan, Ger. steigen, Goth. steigan "to go up, ascend;" O.E. stigan "to climb, go;" Ger. Steig "path," O.E. stig "narrow path"), from PIE *steigh- "go, rise, stride, step, walk" (cf. Gk. steikhein "to go, march in order," stikhos "row, line, rank, verse;" Skt. stighnoti "mounts, rises, steps;" O.C.S. stignati "to overtake," stigna "place;" Lith. staiga "suddenly;" O.Ir. tiagaim "I walk;" Welsh taith "going, walk, way"). Originally also a collective plural; stairs developed by 1398. OED says stair still is ordinary in Scotland where flight of stairs would be used elsewhere. Staircase is from 1624, originally the enclosure of the stairs; stairway is from 1767.

stake (n) --- pointed stick or post, O.E. staca, from P.Gmc. *stakon (cf. O.N. stiaki, Du. staak, Ger. stake), from PIE base *steg- "pole, stick." The Gmc. word has been borrowed in Sp. (estaca), O.Fr. (estaque), and It. stacca) and was borrowed back as attach. Meaning "post upon which persons were bound for death by burning" is recorded from c.1205. Stake-body as a type of truck is attested from 1907.

stake (v.) --- c.1330, "to mark (land) with stakes," from stake (n.). Hence, to stake a claim (1857). Meaning "to risk, wager" is attested from 1530, probably from notion of "post on which a gambling wager was placed," though Weekley suggests "there is a tinge of the burning or baiting metaphor" in this usage. Noun meaning "that which is placed at hazard" is recorded from 1540. Plural stakes, as in horse racing, first recorded 1696 (cf. sweepstakes). To have a stake in is recorded from 1784. Meaning "to maintain surveilance" (usually stake out) is first recorded 1942, Amer.Eng. colloquial, probably form earlier sense of "mark off territory."

Stakhanovite --- 1935, from Soviet coal miner Aleksei Grigorevich Stakhanov (1906-77). In ref. to an efficiency system in which workers increase their piecework production and are rewarded with bonuses and privileges. Soviet authorities publicized his prodigious output as part of a campaign to increase productivity.

stalactite --- 1677, Anglicized from Mod.L. stalactites (used 1654 by Olaus Wormius), from Gk. stalaktos "dripping," from stalassein "to trickle," from PIE base *stag- "to seep, drip, drop" (cf. Ger. stallen, Lith. telziu "to urinate").

stalag --- Ger. POW camp, 1940, from Ger. Stalag, short for stammlager "main camp."

stalagmite --- 1681, from Mod.L. stalagmites (Olaus Wormius), from Gk. stalagmos "a dropping," or stalagma "a drop, drip," from stalassein "to trickle" (see stalactite).

stale --- c.1300, "freed from dregs or lees" (of ale, wine, etc.), i.e. "having stood long enough to clear," cognate with M.Du. stel "stale" (of beer), and probably ult. from P.Gmc. base *sta- "stand," the source of O.E. standan "to stand," Perhaps via O.Fr. estaler "halt," from Frankish *stal- "position" (see stall (1)). The meaning "not fresh" is first recorded 1475. Fig. sense (of immaterial things) is recorded from 1562.

stalemate --- 1765, in chess, from stale "stalemate" (1425) + mate "checkmate" (see checkmate). M.E. stale is probably from Anglo-Fr. estale "standstill" (see stall (2)). A misnomer, since a stale is not a mate. "In England from the 17th c. to the beginning of the 19th c. the player who received stalemate won the game" [OED]. Fig sense is recorded from 1885.

Stalinism --- 1927, from assumed name (lit. "Steel") of Soviet Communist Party and Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin (Iosif Vissaronovich Dzhugashvili, 1879-1953).

stalk (n.) --- stem of a plant, c.1325, probably a dim. (with -k suffix) of stale "one of the uprights of a ladder, handle, stalk," from O.E. stalu "wooden part" (as of a harp), from P.Gmc. *stalo; related to O.E. steala "stalk, support," and steall "place" (see stall (2)).

stalk (v1.) --- pursue stealthily, O.E. -stealcian, as in bestealcian "to steal along," from P.Gmc. *stalkojanan, probably from a frequentative of the root of steal (cf. hark from hear, talk from tell). Or it may be from a sense of stalk (v.1), influenced by stalk (n.). Meaning "harass obsessively" first recorded 1991. Stalker earlier meant "a poacher" (1424) and "one who prowls for purposes of theft" (1508). A stalking-horse was lit. a horse trained to allow a fowler to conceal himself behind it to get within range of the game; fig. sense of "person who participates in a proceeding to disguise its real purpose" is recorded from 1612.

stalk (v2.) --- walk haughtily (opposite meaning of stalk (v1.)) is 1530, perhaps from stalk (n.) with a notion of "long, awkward strides," or from O.E. stealcung "a stalking," related to stealc "steep, lofty."

stall (n.1) --- place in a stable for animals, O.E. steall "place where cattle are kept, place, position," from P.Gmc. *stallaz (cf. O.N. stallr "pedestal for idols, altar," O.Fris. stal, O.H.G. stall "stand, place, stable, stall," Ger. Stall "stable," Stelle "place"), earlier *stalnaz- or *stathlo-, from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (cf. Gk. stellein "to set in order, arrange, equip;" see stet). The word passed into Romanic languages (cf. It. stallo "place," stalla "stable;" O.Fr. estal "place, position, stand, stall," Fr. étal "butcher's stall"). Several meanings, including that of "a stand for selling" (c.1250, implied in stallage "tax levied for the privilege of erecting a stall at a market or fair"), are from (or influenced by) O.Fr. estal. Meaning "partially enclosed seat in a choir" is attested from c.1400; that of "urinal in a men's room" is from 1967.

stall (n.2) --- pretense to avoid doing something, variant of stale "bird used as a decoy to lure other birds" (c.1440), from Anglo-Fr. estale "decoy, pigeon used to lure a hawk" (13c., cf. stool pigeon), lit. "standstill," from O.Fr. estal "place, stand, stall," from Frankish *stal- "position," cognate with O.E. steall (see stall (n.1)). Cf. O.E. stælhran "decoy reindeer," Ger. stellvogel "decoy bird." Fig. sense of "deception, means of allurement" is first recorded c.1529. Meaning "evasive trick or story, pretext, excuse" first recorded 1812 (see stall (v.)); sense entwined with that of "thief's assistant" (1591).

stall (v.) --- 1592, "to screen a pickpocket from observation," from stall (n.2) "decoy." Meaning "to precaricate, be evasive, play for time" is attested from 1903. Of engines or engine-powered vehicles, it is attested from 1904 (trans.), 1914 (intrans.), from earlier sense of "to become stuck, come to a standstill" (c.1400), which is directly from O.Fr. estale or O.E. steall (see stall (n.1)).

stallion --- 1388, "uncastrated male horse," from O.Fr. estalon "male horse," from Frank. *stal, cognate with O.H.G. stal "stable" (see stall (1)). The notion is probably of a horse kept in a stable to service mares. Transf. sense of "lascivious man" is attested from 1553.

stalwart --- 1375, Scottish variant of O.E. stælwierðe "good, serviceable," probably a contracted compound of staðol "foundation, support" (from P.Gmc. *stathlaz) + wierðe "good, excellent, worthy" (see worth). Another theory traces the first element of stælwierðe to O.E. stæl "place," from P.Gmc. *stælaz. In U.S. political history, applied 1877 by Blaine to Republicans who refused to give up their hostility to and distrust of the South.

stamen --- pollen-bearing organ of a flower, 1668, from Mod.L. (1625, Spigelus), from L. stamen "stamen" (Pliny), lit. "thread of the warp" in the upright loom (related to stare "to stand"), from PIE *sta-men- (cf. Gk. stemon "warp," also used by Hesychius for some part of a plant, Goth. stoma, Skt. sthaman "place," also "strength"), from base *sta- "to stand" (see stet).

stamina --- 1676, "rudiments or original elements of something," from L. stamina "threads," pl. of stamen (gen. staminis) "thread, warp" (see stamen). Sense of "power to resist or recover, strength, endurance" first recorded 1726 (originally pl.), from earlier meaning "congenital vital capacities of a person or animal," also in part from L. application to the threads spun by the Fates to determine the length and course of one's life, and partly from a fig. use of L. stamen "the warp (of cloth)" on the notion of the warp as the "foundation" of a fabric.

stammer --- O.E. stamerian, from W.Gmc. *stamrojan (cf. O.N. stammr, O.H.G. stam, Goth. stamms "stammering," M.Du. stameren, Ger. stammeln "to stammer," O.Fris., Ger. stumm "dumb"), from PIE base *stam-, *stum- "check, impede" (see stem (v.)).

stammtisch --- 1938, "table reserved for regular customers in a Ger. restaurant," from Ger. Stammtisch, from Stamm "cadre," lit. "tree, trunk" + tisch "table."

stamp (n.) --- 1465, "stamping tool," from stamp (v.). Sense of "official mark or imprint" (to certify that duty has been paid on what has been printed or written) dates from 1542; transferred 1837 to adhesive labels issued by governments to serve the same purpose as impressed stamps. Stamp-collecting is from 1862.

stamp (v.) --- O.E. stempan "to pound in a mortar, stamp," from P.Gmc. *stampojanan (cf. O.N. stappa, M.Du. stampen, O.H.G. stampfon, Ger. stampfen "to stamp with the foot, beat, pound," Ger. Stampfe "pestle"), from nasalized form of PIE base *stebh- "to support, place firmly on" (cf. Gk. stembein "to trample, misuse;" see staff). The meaning "impress or mark (something) with a die" is first recorded 1560. To stamp out "extinguish (a fire) by stamping on it" is attested from 1851 in the fig. sense. Stamping ground "one's particular territory" (1821) is from the notion of animals. It. stampa "stamp, impression," Sp. estampar "to stamp, print," Fr. estamper "to stamp, impress" are Gmc. loan-words.

stampede --- 1828, from Mex.Sp. estampida, from Sp., "an uproar," from estamper "to stamp, press, pound," from Gmc. root of Eng. stamp (v.). The verb is from 1823. The political sense is first recorded 1846. As the name of an annual exhibition of cowboy skills in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, it is attested from 1912.

-stan --- country, source of place names such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc., from Pers. -stan "country," from Indo-Iranian *stanam "place," lit. "where one stands," from PIE *sta-no-, from base *sta- "to stand" (see stet).

stance --- 1532, "standing place, station," probably from M.Fr. stance "resting place, harbor," from It. stanza "stopping place, station," from V.L. *stantia "place, abode," from L. stans (gen. stantis), prp. of stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Sense of "position of the feet" (in golf, etc.) is first recorded 1897; fig. sense of "point of view" is recorded from 1956.

stanch (v.) --- to stop the flow of (esp. blood), c.1300, from O.Fr. estanchier "cause to cease flowing, stop, hinder," from V.L. *stancare, perhaps contracted from *stagnicare, from L. stagnum "pond, pool" (see stagnate).

stanchion --- 1343, from O.Fr. estanchon "prop, brace, support" (Fr. étançon), probably from estant "upright," from prp. of ester "be upright, stand," from L. stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet).

stand (n.) --- pause, delay, O.E., from the root of stand (v.). Meaning "place of standing, position" is from c.1300; fig. sense is from 1595. Sense of "action of standing or coming to a position" is attested from 1392, especially in ref. to fighting. Meaning "raised platform for a hunter or sportsman" is attested from c.1400. Sense of "Stall or booth" is first recorded 1508. Military meaning "complete set" (of arms, colors, etc.) is from 1721, often a collective sing. Sense of "standing growth of trees" is 1868, Amer.Eng. Theatrical sense of "each stop made on a performance tour" is from 1896. The word was formerly also slang for "an erection" (1867).

stand (v.) --- O.E. standan (class VI strong verb; past tense stod, pp. standen), from P.Gmc. *sta-n-d- (cf. O.N. standa, O.S., Goth. standan, O.H.G. stantan, Swed. stå, Du. staan, Ger. stehen), from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (cf. Skt. tisthati "stands," Gk. histemi "cause to stand, set, place," L. stare "stand," Lith. stojus, O.C.S. stajati; see stet). Sense of "to exist, be present" is attested from c.1300. Meaning "to pay for as a treat" is from 1821. Phrase stands to reason (1620) is from earlier stands (is constant) with reason. Phrase stand pat is originally from poker (1882); stand down in the military sense of "go off duty" is first recorded 1916. Standing ovation attested by 1968; standing army is from 1603.

stand by (v.) --- c.1250, "to await, support," from stand (v.). As an order to hold one's self in readiness, it is recorded from 1669. As a noun, it is attested from 1796, originally nautical, of a vessel kept nearby for emergencies. In ref. to civil aviation, adj. meaning "without a booked ticket" is from 1961.

stand for --- 1567, "represent, be in place of," from stand (v.). Meaning "endure, undergo" is recorded from 1606. Sense of "tolerate" first recorded 1626.

stand in (v.) --- substitute, 1904, show-biz slang, from stand (v.). As a noun, it is attested from 1928.

stand up --- courageous, 1811, originally of fist fights. To stand (someone) up "fail to keep an appointment" is attested from 1902. Stand-up comic first attested 1966.

standard --- 1138, "flag or other conspicuous object to serve as a rallying point for a military force," from O.Fr. estandart, probably from Frank. *standhard, lit. "stand fast or firm," a compound of words similar to Gothic standan "to stand" (see stand) and hardus "hard" (see hard). So called because the flag was fixed to a pole or spear and stuck in the ground to stand upright. The other theory connects the O.Fr. word to estendre "to stretch out," from L. extendere (see extend). Meaning "unit of measure" is 1327, from Anglo-Fr., where it was used 13c., and is perhaps metaphoric, the royal standard coming to stand for royal authority in matters like setting weights and measures. Hence the meaning "authoritative or recognized exemplar of quality or correctness" (1477). Meaning "rule, principal or means of judgment" is from 1562. That of "definite level of attainment" is attested from 1711 (e.g. standard of living, 1903). Some senses (e.g. "upright pole," c.1450) seem to be infl. by stand (v.). Standardize is recorded from 1873. Standard-bearer in the figurative sense is from 1561.

standing --- 1382, action of the verb stand (q.v.). In the sense of "rank, status," it is first recorded 1580. Legal sense is first recorded 1924. Sports sense is from 1881.

standoff --- 1843, "draw, tie," from stand (v.) + off. Mexican stand-off "stalemate" is recorded from 1891. Adj. standoffish is first attested 1860, from verbal phrase stand off "hold aloof" (1601).

stand-out (n.) --- one who is conspicuous in a crowd, 1928.

standpoint --- 1829, from stand (v.) + point. A loan-translation of Ger. Standpunkt.

standstill --- state of cessation of movement, 1702, from stand (v.) + still (adj.). Earlier the notion would have been expressed simply by stand.

Stanford-Binet --- intelligence test, first published 1916 as a revision and extension of the Binet-Simon intelligence tests, from Sanford University + Alfred Binet (1857-1911).

stanine --- nine-point scale for test scores, introduced by the U.S. Air Force in 1942, from sta(ndard) + nine.

Stanislavsky --- in ref. to a method of acting, 1924, from Rus. actor and director Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938).

stannic --- containing tin, 1790, from Mod.L. stannum, from L.L. stannum "tin" (originally an alloy of silver and lead), a scribal alteration of L. stagnum, probably from a Celt. source (cf. Ir. stan "tin," Cornish, Bret. sten, Welsh ystaen). The L. word is the source of It. stagno, Fr. étain, Sp. estaño "tin."

stanza --- group of rhymed verse lines, 1588, from It. stanza "verse of a poem," originally "standing, stopping place," from V.L. *stantia "a stanza of verse," so called from the stop at the end of it, from L. stans (gen. stantis), prp. of stare "to stand" (see stet).

stapes --- stirrup bone in the middle ear, 1670, Mod.L. (1564), special use of M.L. stapes "stirrup," probably an alteration of L.L. stapia, related to stare "to stand" + pedem "foot." So called because the bone is shaped like a stirrup. This was an invented M.L. word for "stirrup," for which there was no classical L. word, as the ancients did not use stirrups.

staphylococcus --- 1887, Mod.L., the genus name, coined (on model of streptococcus) in 1882 by Scottish surgeon and bacteriologist Alexander Ogston (1844-1929), from Gk. staphyle "bunch of grapes" (see staff) + Mod.L. coccus "spherical bacterium," from Gk. kokkos "berry, grain." So called because the bacteria usually bunch together in irregular masses. Colloquial short form staph is attested from 1933.

staple (1) --- bent piece of metal with pointed ends, 1295, from O.E. stapol "post, pillar," from P.Gmc. *stapulaz "pillar" (cf. O.Fris. stapul "stem of a tooth," M.L.G. stapel "block for executions," Ger. stapel "stake, beam"), from PIE stebh- (see staff). How this evolved into the modern fastening device is unclear, and it may not be the same word. Meaning "piece of thin wire driven through papers to hold them together" is attested from 1895; stapler is from 1951.

staple (2) --- principal article grown or made in a country or district, 1423, "official market for some class of merchandise," from Anglo-Fr. (14c.), from O.Fr. estaple "market," from a Gmc. source akin to M.L.G. stapol, M.Du. stapel "market," from the same source as staple (1), the notion being of market stalls behind pillars of an arcade, or else of a raised platform where the king's deputies administered judgment. The sense of "principle article grown or made in a place" is 1616, short for staple ware "wares and goods from a market" (1432).

star (n.) --- O.E. steorra, from P.Gmc. *sterron, *sternon (cf. O.S. sterro, O.N. stjarna, O.Fris. stera, Du. ster, O.H.G. sterro, Ger. Stern, Goth. stairno), from PIE *ster- (cf. Skt. star-, Hittite shittar, Gk. aster, astron, L. stella, Bret. sterenn, Welsh seren "star"). Astrological sense of "influence of planets and zodiac on human affairs" is recorded from c.1250; star-crossed is from "Romeo and Juliet" (1592). Stars as a ranking of quality for hotels, restaurants, etc. are attested from 1886, originally in Baedecker guides. Brass star as a police badge is recorded from 1859 (New York City). Starlight is c.1374; star-fruit (Damasonium stellatum) is first attested 1857; starfish first attested 1538; star-gazer is from 1560. Starry-eyed "unrealistically optimistic" is attested from 1936 (in "Gone With the Wind"). Starship first attested 1934 (in "Astounding Stories").

star (v.) --- 1824, "perform the lead part" (said of actors, singers, etc.), from star (n.). Sporting sense is from 1916. Starlet in Hollywood sense first recorded 1920.

Star Chamber --- 1398, apartment in the royal palace at Westminster in which members of the king's council sat to exercise jurisdiction 14-15c., it evolved 15c. into a court of criminal jurisdiction, proverbial under James I and Charles I for arbitrary and oppressive proceedings. Abolished 1641. Supposedly so called because gilt stars were painted on the ceiling.

Star Wars --- name of a popular science fiction film released in 1977; also the informal name for a space-based missile defense system proposed in 1983 by U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

starboard --- O.E. steorbord, lit. "side on which a vessel was steered," from steor- "rudder, steering paddle" + bord "ship's side." Cf. O.N. stjornborði, Low Ger. stürbord, Ger. Steuerbord. Early Germanic peoples' boats were propelled and steered by a paddle on the right side. Fr. tribord (O.Fr. estribord), It. stribordo are Gmc. loan-words.

starch (v.) --- 1402, from O.E. *stercan (Mercian), *stiercan (W.Saxon) "make rigid," found in stercedferhð "fixed, hard, resolute" (related to stearc "stiff"), from P.Gmc. *starkijanan (cf. Ger. Stärke "strength, starch"), from PIE base *ster- "strong, firm, stiff, rigid" (see stark). The noun meaning "pasty substance used to stiffen cloth" is first recorded c.1440, from the verb. Fig. sense of "stiffness of manner" is recorded from 1705.

stare (n.) --- starling, from O.E. (see starling).

stare (v.) --- O.E. starian "to look fixedly at," from P.Gmc. *star- "be rigid" (cf. O.N. stara, M.L.G., M.Du. staren, O.H.G. staren, Ger. starren "to stare at;" Ger. starren "to stiffen," starr "stiff;" O.N. storr "proud;" O.H.G. storren "to stand out, project;" Goth. andstaurran "to be obstinate"), from PIE base *ster- "strong, firm, stiff, rigid" (cf. Lith. storas "thick," stregti "to become frozen;" Skt. sthirah "hard, firm;" Pers. suturg "strong;" O.C.S. staru "old;" cf. sterile and torpor). Not originally implying rudeness.

stark --- O.E. stearc "stiff, strong" (related to starian "to stare"), from P.Gmc. *starkaz (cf. O.N. sterkr, O.Fris. sterk, M.Du. starc, O.H.G. starah, Ger. stark, Goth. *starks), from PIE base *ster- "stiff, rigid" (see stare). Meaning "utter, sheer, complete" first recorded c.1400, perhaps from infl. of common phrase stark dead (c.1375), with stark mistaken as an intensive adj. Sense of "bare, barren" is from 1833. Stark naked (1530) is from M.E. start naked (c.1225), from O.E. steort "tail, rump." Hence Brit. slang starkers "naked" (1923).

starling --- O.E. stærlinc, with dim. suffix -linc, from stær "starling," from P.Gmc. *staraz (cf. O.E. stearn, O.N. stari, Norw. stare, O.H.G. stara, Ger. star "starling"), from PIE *storo- (cf. L. sturnus "starling," O.Pruss. starnite "gull").

Stars and Stripes --- American flag, attested from 1782. Stars and Bars as a name for the Confederate flag is attested from 1863. Star-spangled is attested from 1591; Star-Spangled Banner "United States flag" is 1814, from Francis Scott Key's poem (printed in the "Baltimore Patriot" Sept. 20).

start (n.) --- c.1374, "a sudden movement," from start (v.); meaning "act of beginning to build a house" is from 1946. That of "opportunity at the beginning of a career or course of action" is from 1849. False start first attested 1850.

start (v.) --- O.E. *steortian, *stiertan, Kentish variants of styrtan "to leap up" (related to starian "to stare"), from P.Gmc. *sturtjan- (cf. O.Fris. stirta "to fall, tumble," M.Du. sterten, Du. storten "to rush, fall," O.H.G. sturzen, Ger. stürzen "to hurl, throw, plunge"), of unknown origin. From "move or spring suddenly," sense evolved by c.1386 to "awaken suddenly, flinch or recoil in alarm," and 1666 to "cause to begin acting or operating." Meaning "begin to move, leave, depart" is from 1821. The connection is probably from sporting senses ("to force an animal from its lair," c.1384). To start something "cause trouble" is 1917, Amer.Eng. colloquial. For starters "to begin with" is 1873, Amer.Eng. colloquial. Starter home is from 1976; starter set is from 1946, originally of china. Starting block first recorded 1937.