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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STAY, v.i. pret. staid, for stayed. [L., to stand.]
1. To remain; to continue in a place; to abide for any indefinite time. Do you stay here, while I go to the next house. Stay here a week. We staid at the Hotel Montmorenci.
Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first.
2. To continue in a state.
The flames augment, and stay at their full highth, then languish to decay.
3. To wait; to attend; to forbear to act.
I stay for Turnus.
Would ye stay for them from having husbands? Ruth 1.
4. To stop; to stand still.
She would command the hasty sun to stay.
5. To dwell.
I must stay a little on one action.
6. To rest; to rely; to confide in; to trust.
Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression, and stay thereon--Isaiah 30.
STAY, v.t. pret. and pp. staid, for stayed.
1. To stop; to hold from proceeding; to withhold; to restrain.
All that may stay the mind from thinking that true which they heartily wish were false.
To stay these sudden gusts of passion.
2. To delay; to obstruct; to hinder from proceeding.
Your ships are staid at Venice.
I was willing to stay my reader on an argument that appeared to me to be new.
3. To keep from departure; as, you might have staid me here.
4. To stop from motion or falling; to prop; to hold up; to support.
Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands. Exodus 17.
Sallows and reeds for vineyards useful found to stay thy vines.
5. To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; as, to take a luncheon to stay the stomach.
STAY, n.
1. Continuance in a place; abode for a time indefinite; as, you make a short stay in this city.
Embrace the hero, and his stay implore.
2. Stand; stop; cessation of motion or progression.
Affairs of state seemd rather to stand at a stay.
[But in this sense, we now use stand; to be at a stand.]
3. Stop; obstruction; hinderance from progress.
Grievd with each step, tormented with each stay.
4. Restraint of passion; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
With prudent stay, he long deferrd the rough contention.
5. A fixed state.
Alas, what stay is there in human state!
6. Prop; support.
Trees serve as so many stays for their vines.
My only strength and stay!
The Lord is my stay. Psalms 18.
The stay and the staff, the means of supporting and preserving life. Isaiah 3.
7. Steadiness of conduct.
8. In the rigging of a ship, a large strong rope employed to support the mast, by being extended from its upper end to the stem of the ship. The fore-stay reaches from the foremast head towards the bowsprit end; the main-stay extends to the ships stem; the mizen-stay is stretched to a collar on the main-mast, above the quarter deck, etc.
Stays, in seamanship, implies the operation of going about or changing the course of a ship, with a shifting of the sails. To be in stays, is to lie with the head to the wind, and the sails so arranged as to check her progress.
To miss stays, to fail in the attempt to go about.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: continuing or remaining in a place or state; "they had a nice stay in Paris"; "a lengthy hospital stay"; "a four- month stay in bankruptcy court"
2: the state of inactivity following an interruption; "the negotiations were in arrest"; "held them in check"; "during the halt he got some lunch"; "the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow"; "he spent the entire stop in his seat" [syn: arrest, check, halt, hitch, stay, stop, stoppage]
3: a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted; "the Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunction pending an appeal to the whole Court"
4: a thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset)
5: (nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar v
1: stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears"; "The bad weather continued for another week" [syn: stay, remain, rest] [ant: change]
2: stay put (in a certain place); "We are staying in Detroit; we are not moving to Cincinnati"; "Stay put in the corner here!"; "Stick around and you will learn something!" [syn: stay, stick, stick around, stay put] [ant: move]
3: dwell; "You can stay with me while you are in town"; "stay a bit longer--the day is still young" [syn: bide, abide, stay]
4: continue in a place, position, or situation; "After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser"; "Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy mayor for another year" [syn: stay, stay on, continue, remain]
5: remain behind; "I had to stay at home and watch the children" [ant: depart, quit, take leave]
6: stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!" [syn: stay, detain, delay]
7: stay behind; "The smell stayed in the room"; "The hostility remained long after they made up" [syn: persist, remain, stay]
8: hang on during a trial of endurance; "ride out the storm" [syn: last out, stay, ride out, outride]
9: stop a judicial process; "The judge stayed the execution order"
10: fasten with stays
11: overcome or allay; "quell my hunger" [syn: quell, stay, appease]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English stζg; akin to Old Norse stag stay Date: before 12th century 1. a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast 2. guy I II. verb Date: 1627 transitive verb 1. to secure upright with or as if with stays 2. to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays intransitive verb to go about ; tack III. verb (stayed; also staid; staying) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estei-, estai-, stem of ester to stand, stay, from Latin stare — more at stand Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to stop going forward ; pause 2. to stop doing something ; cease 3. to continue in a place or condition ; remain <stayed up all night> <went for a short vacation but stayed on for weeks> <stay put till I come back> 4. to stand firm 5. to take up residence ; lodge 6. to keep even in a contest or rivalry <stay with the leaders> 7. to call a poker bet without raising 8. obsolete to be in waiting or attendance transitive verb 1. to wait for ; await 2. to stick or remain with (as a race or trial of endurance) to the end — usually used in the phrase stay the course 3. to remain during <stayed the whole time> 4. a. to stop or delay the proceeding or advance of by or as if by interposing an obstacle ; halt <stay an execution> b. to check the course of (as a disease) c. allay, pacify <stayed tempers> d. to quiet the hunger of temporarily Synonyms: see defer IV. noun Date: 1536 1. a. the action of halting ; the state of being stopped b. a stopping or suspension of procedure or execution by judicial or executive order 2. obsolete self-control, moderation 3. a residence or sojourn in a place 4. capacity for endurance V. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French estaie, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch stake pole, Middle Low German stak post, stake pole — more at stake Date: 14th century 1. one that serves as a prop ; support 2. a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment or part (as a shirt collar) 3. a corset stiffened with bones — usually used in plural VI. transitive verb Date: 1548 1. to provide physical or moral support for ; sustain 2. to fix on something as a foundation

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. 1 intr. continue to be in the same place or condition; not depart or change (stay here until I come back). 2 intr. a (often foll. by at, in, with) have temporary residence as a visitor etc. (stayed with them for Christmas). b Sc. & S.Afr. dwell permanently. 3 archaic or literary a tr. stop or check (progress, the inroads of a disease, etc.). b intr. (esp. in imper.) pause in movement, action, speech, etc. (Stay! You forget one thing). 4 tr. postpone (judgement, decision, etc.). 5 tr. assuage (hunger etc.) esp. for a short time. 6 a intr. show endurance. b tr. show endurance to the end of (a race etc.). 7 tr. (often foll. by up) literary support, prop up (as or with a buttress etc.). 8 intr. (foll. by for, to) wait long enough to share or join in an activity etc. (stay to supper; stay for the film). --n. 1 a the act or an instance of staying or dwelling in one place. b the duration of this (just a ten-minute stay; a long stay in London). 2 a suspension or postponement of a sentence, judgement, etc. (was granted a stay of execution). 3 archaic or literary a check or restraint (will endure no stay; a stay upon his activity). 4 endurance, staying power. 5 a prop or support. 6 (in pl.) hist. a corset esp. with whalebone etc. stiffening, and laced. Phrases and idioms: has come (or is here) to stay colloq. must be regarded as permanent. stay-at-home adj. remaining habitually at home. --n. a person who does this. stay-bar (or -rod) a support used in building or in machinery. stay the course pursue a course of action or endure a struggle etc. to the end. stay one's hand see HAND. stay in remain indoors or at home, esp. in school after hours as a punishment. staying power endurance, stamina. stay-in strike = sit-down strike. stay the night remain until the next day. stay put colloq. remain where it is placed or where one is. stay up not go to bed (until late at night). Derivatives: stayer n. Etymology: AF estai- stem of OF ester f. L stare stand: sense 5 f. OF estaye(r) prop, formed as STAY(2) 2. n. & v. --n. 1 Naut. a rope or guy supporting a mast, spar, flagstaff, etc. 2 a tie-piece in an aircraft etc. --v.tr. 1 support (a mast etc.) by stays. 2 put (a ship) on another tack. Phrases and idioms: be in stays (of a sailing ship) be head to the wind while tacking. miss stays fail to be in stays. Etymology: OE stæg be firm, f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stay Stay, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stayedor Staid; p. pr. & vb. n. Staying.] [OF. estayer, F. ['e]tayer to prop, fr. OF. estai, F. ['e]tai, a prop, probably fr. OD. stade, staeye, a prop, akin to E. stead; or cf. stay a rope to support a mast. Cf. Staid, a., Stay, v. i.] 1. To stop from motion or falling; to prop; to fix firmly; to hold up; to support. Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. --Ex. xvii. 12. Sallows and reeds . . . for vineyards useful found To stay thy vines. --Dryden. 2. To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time. He has devoured a whole loaf of bread and butter, and it has not staid his stomach for a minute. --Sir W. Scott. 3. To bear up under; to endure; to support; to resist successfully. She will not stay the siege of loving terms, Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes. --Shak. 4. To hold from proceeding; to withhold; to restrain; to stop; to hold. Him backward overthrew and down him stayed With their rude hands grisly grapplement. --Spenser. All that may stay their minds from thinking that true which they heartly wish were false. --Hooker. 5. To hinde?; to delay; to detain; to keep back. Your ships are stayed at Venice. --Shak. This business staid me in London almost a week. --Evelyn. I was willing to stay my reader on an argument that appeared to me new. --Locke. 6. To remain for the purpose of; to wait for. ``I stay dinner there.'' --Shak. 7. To cause to cease; to put an end to. Stay your strife. --Shak. For flattering planets seemed to say This child should ills of ages stay. --Emerson. 8. (Engin.) To fasten or secure with stays; as, to stay a flat sheet in a steam boiler. 9. (Naut.) To tack, as a vessel, so that the other side of the vessel shall be presented to the wind. To stay a mast (Naut.), to incline it forward or aft, or to one side, by the stays and backstays.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stay Stay, n. [AS. st[ae]g, akin to D., G., Icel., Sw., & Dan. stag; cf. OF. estai, F. ['e]tai, of Teutonic origin.] (Naut.) A large, strong rope, employed to support a mast, by being extended from the head of one mast down to some other, or to some part of the vessel. Those which lead forward are called fore-and-aft stays; those which lead to the vessel's side are called backstays. See Illust. of Ship. In stays, or Hove in stays (Naut.), in the act or situation of staying, or going about from one tack to another. --R. H. Dana, Jr. Stay holes (Naut.), openings in the edge of a staysail through which the hanks pass which join it to the stay. Stay tackle (Naut.), a tackle attached to a stay and used for hoisting or lowering heavy articles over the side. To miss stays (Naut.), to fail in the attempt to go about. --Totten. Triatic stay (Naut.), a rope secured at the ends to the heads of the foremast and mainmast with thimbles spliced to its bight into which the stay tackles hook.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stay Stay, n. [Cf. OF. estai, F. ['e]tai support, and E. stay a rope to support a mast.] 1. That which serves as a prop; a support. ``My only strength and stay.'' --Milton. Trees serve as so many stays for their vines. --Addison. Lord Liverpool is the single stay of this ministry. --Coleridge. 2. pl. A corset stiffened with whalebone or other material, worn by women, and rarely by men. How the strait stays the slender waist constrain. --Gay. 3. Continuance in a place; abode for a space of time; sojourn; as, you make a short stay in this city. Make haste, and leave thy business and thy care; No mortal interest can be worth thy stay. --Dryden. Embrace the hero and his stay implore. --Waller. 4. Cessation of motion or progression; stand; stop. Made of sphere metal, never to decay Until his revolution was at stay. --Milton. Affairs of state seemed rather to stand at a stay. --Hayward. 5. Hindrance; let; check. [Obs.] They were able to read good authors without any stay, if the book were not false. --Robynson (more's Utopia). 6. Restraint of passion; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety. [Obs.] ``Not grudging that thy lust hath bounds and stays.'' --Herbert. The wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king. --Bacon. With prudent stay he long deferred The rough contention. --Philips. 7. (Engin.) Strictly, a part in tension to hold the parts together, or stiffen them. Stay bolt (Mech.), a bolt or short rod, connecting opposite plates, so as to prevent them from being bulged out when acted upon by a pressure which tends to force them apart, as in the leg of a steam boiler. Stay busk, a stiff piece of wood, steel, or whalebone, for the front support of a woman's stays. Cf. Busk. Stay rod, a rod which acts as a stay, particularly in a steam boiler.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stay Stay, v. i. [[root]163. See Stay to hold up, prop.] 1. To remain; to continue in a place; to abide fixed for a space of time; to stop; to stand still. She would command the hasty sun to stay. --Spenser. Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first. --Dryden. I stay a little longer, as one stays To cover up the embers that still burn. --Longfellow. 2. To continue in a state. The flames augment, and stay At their full height, then languish to decay. --Dryden. 3. To wait; to attend; to forbear to act. I'll tell thee all my whole device When I am in my coach, which stays for us. --Shak. The father can not stay any longer for the fortune. --Locke. 4. To dwell; to tarry; to linger. I must stay a little on one action. --Dryden. 5. To rest; to depend; to rely; to stand; to insist. I stay here on my bond. --Shak. Ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon. --Isa. xxx. 12. 6. To come to an end; to cease; as, that day the storm stayed. [Archaic] Here my commission stays. --Shak. 7. To hold out in a race or other contest; as, a horse stays well. [Colloq.] 8. (Naut.) To change tack; as a ship.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stays, staying, stayed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you stay where you are, you continue to be there and do not leave. 'Stay here,' Trish said. 'I'll bring the car down the drive to take you back.'... In the old days the woman stayed at home and the man earned the money. VERB: V adv/prep, V adv/prep 2. If you stay in a town, or hotel, or at someone's house, you live there for a short time. Gordon stayed at The Park Hotel, Milan... He tried to stay a few months every year in Scotland. VERB: V prep/adv, V n • Stay is also a noun. An experienced Indian guide is provided during your stay. N-COUNT: usu supp N 3. If someone or something stays in a particular state or situation, they continue to be in it. The Republican candidate said he would 'work like crazy to stay ahead'. ...community care networks that offer classes on how to stay healthy... = remain V-LINK: V adv/prep, V adj 4. If you stay away from a place, you do not go there. Government employers and officers also stayed away from work during the strike... Every single employee turned up at the meeting, even people who usually stayed away. = keep VERB: V away from n, V away 5. If you stay out of something, you do not get involved in it. In the past, the UN has stayed out of the internal affairs of countries unless invited in... VERB: V out of n 6. If you stay put, you remain somewhere. Nigel says for the moment he is very happy to stay put in Lyon. PHRASE: V inflects 7. If you stay the night in a place, you sleep there for one night. They had invited me to come to supper and stay the night. PHRASE: V inflects

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sta: Is derived from two distinct forms. From one derivation it has the meaning "to stand" and so "to continue in one place" (Ge 8:10; Le 13:23,28, etc.), "to forbear to act" (Ru 1:13), "to rest," "to be trustful" (King James Version, the English Revised Version Isa 10:20; see below). Transitively it means "to cause to stay," "to hinder" (Da 4:35, etc.), and "stay" as a noun means "cessation of progress"' (Le 13:5,37), "sojourn." From the second derivation the verb means "to support" (Ex 17:12; 1Ki 22:35; So 2:5), while the noun means "a support" (1Ki 10:19; Isa 3:1, etc.). the American Standard Revised Version has judged obsolete "stay on" in the sense "trust in," and for "stay" has substituted "lean" in Isa 10:20 and "rely" in 30:12; 31:1; 50:10, although "stay themselves upon" (= "support themselves by") has been kept in 48:2. Otherwise the Revised Version (British and American) has made few alterations. But such as have been made ("tarry ye" for "stay yourselves" in Isa 29:9 and the American Standard Revised Version "restrain" for "stay" in Job 37:4) could have been carried farther with advantage.

Burton Scott Easton

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Sojourn, tarry, abide, dwell, lodge, rest, take up one's quarters, pitch one's tent. 2. Remain, continue, stop, be fixed, stand still, abide fixed, halt. 3. Wait, attend, delay, linger. 4. Rest, rely, confide, trust, repose, lean. II. v. a. 1. Stop, restrain, check, hold, withhold, curb, keep in, rein in, prevent. 2. Delay, obstruct, hinder, arrest. 3. Support, sustain, uphold, prop, hold up, shore up. III. n. 1. Sojourn, delay, halt, rest, repose, stop. 2. Stand, stop. 3. Hindrance, obstruction, interruption, obstacle, impediment, check, bar, restraint, curb, stumbling-block. 4. Support, prop, staff, dependence, supporter, buttress.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A cuckold.

Moby Thesaurus

abandon, abeyance, abide, abort, adhere, adjourn, advocate, afford support, afterthought, agglomerate, alpenstock, amnesty, anchor, arm, arrest, arrestation, athletic supporter, await, back, back up, backbone, backing, backpedal, backwater, bandeau, bar, be still, bear, bear up, bearer, bearing rein, belay, bell, berth, bide, bide the issue, billet at, bind, bit, bivouac, block, block up, blockade, blockage, bolster, bolster up, bottom, bra, brace, bracer, bracket, brake, brassiere, break, breath, breather, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, bring to, bring up short, bunch, bung, bunk, buoy up, bureaucratic delay, burrow, buttress, cable, caesura, camp, cancel, cane, carrier, carry, carry on, caulk, cease, cease not, cease-fire, cervix, chain, check, checkmate, checkrein, chink, chock, choke, choke off, choke up, cigarette break, clasp, cleave, clinch, cling, cling to, clip the wings, clog, clog up, clot, cluster, coagulate, coast, cocktail hour, coffee break, cohabit, cohere, colonize, column, come to anchor, confine, congeal, congest, conglomerate, constipate, continue, continue to be, cork, corselet, corset, countercheck, cover, cradle, crook, crutch, curb, curb bit, cushion, cut it out, cut short, cutoff, dally, dam, dam up, damper, dawdle, day off, dead stop, deadlock, debarment, decelerate, defeat time, defer, deferment, deferral, defy time, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, desist, detain, detention, deter, determent, deterrence, dillydally, discontinuance, discontinuation, discontinue, discourage, discouragement, domesticate, domicile, domiciliate, doorstop, doss down, double take, downtime, drag, drag on, drag out, drag sail, dragging, draw rein, drift anchor, drift sail, drogue, drop, drop anchor, drop it, dwell, ease off, ease up, embrace, end, endgame, ending, endure, enforced respite, ensconce, establish, establish residence, estoppel, exemption, exist, extend, fetter, fill, fill up, final whistle, foil, forbiddance, foreclosure, forestalling, forestay, foul, found, foundation garment, freeze, freeze to, fulcrum, full stop, gird, girdle, give over, give support, go along, go on, grasp, grinding halt, ground, grow together, gun, guy, guywire, halt, hamper, hang, hang about, hang around, hang fire, hang on, hang out, hang together, hang up, hang-up, happy hour, have done with, hesitation, hinder, hindrance, hive, hold, hold back, hold everything, hold in check, hold off, hold on, hold out, hold over, hold steady, hold together, hold up, hold your horses, holdback, holdup, holiday, hug, immunity, impede, impunity, indemnity, inhabit, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interrupt, interruption, interval, jam, jock, jockstrap, jog on, keep, keep afloat, keep back, keep going, keep house, keep on, keep quiet, keep up, knock it off, lag, lagging, lapse, last, last long, last out, lay aside, lay by, lay off, lay over, layoff, layover, leave off, lend support, let down, let up, letup, lie still, line, linger, live, live at, live on, live through, locate, lockout, lodge, logjam, loiter, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, lull, mainstay, maintain, maintainer, make late, mark time, martingale, mass, mast, moderate, moor, moratorium, move, neck, nest, never cease, nolle prosequi, non prosequitur, nonprosecution, not breathe, not stir, obstipate, obstruct, obstruction, obviation, occupy, pack, paperasserie, park, pause, pelham, people, perch, perdure, perennate, persist, pigeonhole, pillow, plug, plug up, populate, postpone, postponement, preclusion, predicate, prevail, prevent, prevention, procrastinate, prohibition, prolong, prop, prorogate, prorogue, protract, pull up, push aside, put aside, put off, put on ice, put paid to, quit, recess, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, reef, refrain, rein in, reinforce, reinforcement, reinforcer, relax, relinquish, relocate, remain, remain motionless, remission, remora, renounce, repose, reprieve, reserve, reside, respite, rest, resting place, retard, retardance, retardation, rigging, room, roost, rope, run, run on, scotch, scrub, sea anchor, secure, set, set aside, set back, set by, set up housekeeping, set up shop, settle, settle down, shackle, shelve, shift off, shore, shore up, shoulder, shroud, sit down, sit tight, sit up, sit up for, sit-down strike, slack off, slack up, slacken, sleep on, slog on, slow, slow down, slow up, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, snaffle, sojourn, sojournment, solidify, spell, spile, spine, spoke, sprit, squat, staff, stagger on, stalemate, stall, stanch, stand, stand fast, stand firm, stand over, stand still, stand-down, standing rigging, standoff, standstill, stave, stave off, stay at, stay of execution, stay on, stay over, stay put, stay up, stay up for, stayover, stays, stem, stem the tide, stench, stick, stick around, stick fast, stick together, stiffener, stillstand, stop, stop cold, stop dead, stop over, stop short, stop up, stop-off, stopover, stoppage, stopper, stopping, stopple, strengthen, strengthener, stretch out, strike, strike root, stuff, stuff up, stymie, subsidize, subsist, subvention, support, supporter, surcease, survive, suspend, suspension, sustain, sustainer, sweat, sweat it out, sweat out, table, take a recess, take hold of, take in sail, take residence at, take root, take time, take up residence, tarry, tea break, tenant, terminate, throttle down, thwart, tide over, tie-up, time lag, time out, trammel, tread water, truce, underbrace, undergird, underlie, underpin, underpinning, underset, upbear, uphold, upholder, upkeep, vacation, visit, wait, wait a minute, wait and see, wait for, wait on, wait up for, waive, walking stick, walkout, watch, watch and wait, wear, work stoppage