stay

stay¹

/stay/, v., stayed or staid, staying, n.

v.i.

1. to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.: He stayed in the army for ten years.

2. to continue to be as specified, as to condition or state: to stay clean.

3. to hold out or endure, as in a contest or task (fol. by with or at): Please stay with the project as long as you can.

4. to keep up, as with a competitor (fol. by with).

5. Poker. to continue in a hand by matching an ante, bet, or raise.

6. to stop or halt.

7. to pause or wait, as for a moment, before proceeding or continuing; linger or tarry.

8. Archaic. to cease or desist.

9. Archaic. to stand firm.

v.t.

10. to stop or halt.

11. to hold back, detain, or restrain, as from going further.

12. to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).

13. to appease or satisfy temporarily the cravings of (the stomach, appetite, etc.).

14. to remain through or during (a period of time): We stayed two days in San Francisco.

15. to remain to the end of; remain beyond (usually fol. by out).

16. Archaic. to await.

17. stay the course, to persevere; endure to completion.

n.

18. the act of stopping or being stopped.

19. a stop, halt, or pause; a standstill.

20. a sojourn or temporary residence: a week's stay in Miami.

21. Law. a stoppage or arrest of action; suspension of a judicial proceeding: The governor granted a stay of execution.

22. Informal. staying power; endurance.

[1400-50; late ME staien < AF estaier, OF estai-, s. of ester < L stare to STAND]

stay²

/stay/, n., v., stayed, staying.

n.

1. something used to support or steady a thing; prop; brace.

2. a flat strip of steel, plastic, etc., used esp. for stiffening corsets, collars, etc.

3. a long rod running between opposite walls, heads or sides of a furnace, boiler, tank, or the like, to strengthen them against internal pressures.

4. stays, Chiefly Brit. a corset.

v.t.

5. to support, prop, or hold up (sometimes fol. by up).

6. to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.

7. to rest on (something, as a foundation or base) for support.

8. to cause something to become fixed or to rest on (a support, foundation, base, etc.)

[1505-15; appar. same as STAY³ (cf. OF estayer to hold in place, support, perh. deriv. of ME steye STAY³)]

stay³

/stay/, n., v., stayed, staying. Chiefly Naut.

n.

1. any of various strong ropes or wires for steadying masts, funnels, etc.

2. in stays, (of a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel) heading into the wind with sails shaking, as in coming about.

v.t.

3. to support or secure with a stay or stays: to stay a mast.

4. to put (a ship) on the other tack.

v.i.

5. (of a ship) to change to the other tack.

[bef. 1150; ME stey(e), OE staeg; c. G Stag]

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