Online Etymology Dictionary

squirrel: 1327, from Anglo-Fr. esquirel, O.Fr. escurel (Fr. écureuil), from V.L. *scuriolus, dim. of *scurius "squirrel," variant of L. sciurus, from Gk. skiouros "a squirrel," lit. "shadow-tailed," from skia "shadow" + oura "tail." Perhaps the original notion is "that which makes a shade with its tail." The verb meaning "to hoard up, store away" (as a aquirrel does nuts) is first recorded 1939; squirrely is from 1925. The O.E. word was acweorna, which survived into M.E. as aquerne.
squirt: 1460, squyrten "eject water in a jet," of uncertain origin, probably imitative. The noun is first recorded c.1460, originally "diarrhea;" meaning "a whipper-snapper" is from 1839.
squish: 1647, probably a variant of squash (1), perhaps by influence of obsolete squiss "to squeeze or crush" (1558). Squishy (adj.) first attested 1847.
Sri Lanka: large island southeast of India (known in Eng. until 1972 as Ceylon), from Lanka, older name for the island and its chief city + Skt. sri "beauty" (esp. of divinities, kings, heroes, etc.), also an honorific prefix to proper names, from PIE base *kreie- "to be outstanding, brilliant, masterly, beautiful" (cf. Gk. kreon "lord, master").
SRO: 1941, acronym for standing room only.
SSR: 1926, from Rus., acronym for Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika "Soviet Socialist Republic."
stab (v.): late 14c., first attested in Scottish Eng., apparently a dial. variant of Scottish stob "to pierce, stab," of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of stub (n.) "stake, nail." The noun meaning "wound produced by stabbing" is first attested mid-15c. Fig. use, of emotions, etc., is from 1590s. Meaning "a try" first recorded 1895, Amer.Eng. Stab in the back "treacherous deed" is first attested 1916.
Stabat Mater: 1867, from L. Stabat Mater (dolorosa) "Stood the Mother (full of sorrow)," opening words of a sequence composed 13c. by Jacobus de Benedictus.
stability: c.1300, "resolute, firm, steadfast" (of persons), from O.Fr. stableté, from L. stabilitatem (nom. stabilitas) "firmness, steadfastness," from stabilis "steadfast, firm" (see stable (adj.)). In physical sense, "difficult to overthrow," it is recorded from early 15c.
stabilize: 1861, originally of ships; from stability. Aeronautical stabilizer is attested from 1909.
stable (n.): "building where horses or cows are kept," mid-13c., "building for domestic animals," from O.Fr. estable "a stable, stall" (also applied to cowsheds and pigsties), from L. stabulum "a stall, fold, aviary, etc." lit. "a standing place," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "collection of horses belonging to one stable is attested from 1570s; transferred sense of "group of fighters under same management" is from 1897; that of "group of prostitutes working for the same employer" is from 1937.
"For what the grete Stiede
Is stole, thanne he taketh hiede,
And makth the stable dore fast."
[John Gower, "Confessio Amantis," 1390]
stable (adj.): "steadfast, firm," c.1275, from O.Fr. estable, from L. stabilis "firm, steadfast," lit. "able to stand," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Physical sense of "secure against falling" is recorded from c.1300. Of nuclear isotopes, from 1904.
staccato: 1724, from It. staccato, lit. "detached, disconnected," from pp. of staccare "to detach," shortened form of distaccare "separate, detach," from M.Fr. destacher, from O.Fr. destachier "to detach" (see detach).
stack: c.1300, "pile, heap, or group of things," from O.N. stakkr "haystack" (cf. Dan. stak, Swed. stack "heap, stack"), from P.Gmc. *stakkoz, from PIE *stognos- (cf. O.C.S. stogu "heap," Rus. stog "haystack," Lith. stokas "pillar"), from base *steg- "pole, stick" (see stake (n.)). Meaning "set of shelves on which books are set out" is from 1879. Used of the chimneys of factories, locomotives, etc., since 1825. The verb is attested from early 14c., "to pile up grain;" the meaning "arrange unfairly" (in stack the deck) is first recorded 1825. Stack up "compare against" is 1903, from notion of piles of poker chips (1896). Stacked, of women's bodies, "well-built in a sexual sense" is from 1942.
stadium: late 14c., "a foot race, an ancient measure of length," from L. stadium "a measure of length, a race course" (commonly one-eighth of a Roman mile; translated in early English Bibles by furlong), from Gk. stadion "a measure of length, a running track," especially the track at Olympia, which was one stadium in length. The Gk. word may literally mean "fixed standard of length" (from stadios "firm, fixed," from PIE base *sta- "to stand"), or it may be from spadion, from span "to draw up, pull," with form infl. by stadios. The meaning "running track," recorded in English from c.1600, was extended to mean in modern-day context "large, open oval structure with tiers of seats for viewing sporting events" (1834).
staff: O.E. stæf "walking stick, strong pole used for carrying, rod used as a weapon" (also, in plural, "letter, character, writing," cf. stæfcræft "grammar"), from P.Gmc. *stabaz (cf. O.S. staf, O.N. stafr, O.Fris. stef, M.L.G., M.Du. staf, O.H.G. stab, Ger. Stab, Goth. *stafs "element;" M.Du. stapel "pillar, foundation"), from PIE base *stebh- "post, stem, to support, place firmly on, fasten" (cf. O.Lith. stabas "idol," Lith. stebas "staff, pillar;" O.C.S. stoboru "pillar;" Skt. stabhnati "supports;" Gk. stephein "to tie around, encircle, wreathe," staphyle "grapevine, bunch of grapes;" O.E. stapol "post, pillar"). Sense of "group of military officers that assists a commander" is attested from 1702, apparently from Ger., from the notion of the "baton" that is a badge of office or authority (a sense attested in Eng. from 1535). Meaning "group of employees (as at an office or hospital)" is first found 1837. The verb meaning "to provide with a staff of assistants" is from 1859. Staff of life "bread" is from the Biblical phrase "to break the staff of bread" (Lev. xxvi.26), transl. Heb. matteh lekhem.
Stafford: town in England, mid-11c., Stæfford, lit. "Ford by a landing-place," from O.E. stæð + ford. County town of Staffordshire, which, as a name for a type of earthenware and porcelain made there is attested from 1765.
stag: c.1185, probably from O.E. *stagga "stag," from P.Gmc. *stag- (see sting). The O.N. equivalent was used of male foxes, tomcats and dragons and the Gmc. root word probably originally meant "male animal in its prime." Meaning "pertaining to or composed of males only" (stag party) is Amer.Eng. slang from 1848. Stag film "pornographic movie" is attested from 1968.
stage (n.): c.1300, "story of a building, raised floor for exhibitions," from O.Fr. estage "a story or floor of a building, stage for performance," from V.L. *staticum "a place for standing," from L. statum, pp. of stare "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "platform for presentation of a play" is attested from 1548; generalized for "profession of an actor" from 1589. Sense of "period of development or time in life" first recorded 1608, probably from M.E. sense of "degree or step on the 'ladder' of virtue, 'wheel' of fortune, etc.," in parable illustrations and morality plays. The verb meaning "to put (a play) on the stage" first recorded 1879; general sense of "to mount" (a comeback, etc.) is attested from 1924. Stage-coach is 1658, from the sense of "division of a journey without stopping for rest" (1603). Stage mother is from 1919. Stage-Door Johnny "young man who frequents stage doors seeking the company of actresses, chorus girls, etc." is attested from 1912. Stage-struck is from 1813; earlier stage-smitten (1682). Stage-whisper first attested 1865.
stagflation: 1965, apparently coined by U.K. Conservative party finance minister Iain Macleod, from stag(nation) + (in)flation.
stagger: 1530, altered from stakeren (c.1300), from O.N. stakra or O.Dan. stagra, both "to push, stagger." Cognate with Du. staggelen "to stagger," Ger. staggeln "to stammer." Trans. sense of "bewilder, amaze" first recorded 1556; that of "arrange in a zig-zag pattern" is from 1856. Staggering "amazing" is attested from 1565.
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: 1540s, "fixed, permanent," adj. use of stayed, pp. of stay (v.). Meaning "sober, sedate" first recorded 1550s.
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.
staircase: 1660s, from stair + case (2).
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.1200. Stake-body as a type of truck is attested from 1907.
stake (v.): early 14c., "to mark (land) with stakes," from stake (n.). Hence, to stake a claim (1857). Meaning "to risk, wager" is attested from 1520s, 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 1530s. Plural stakes, as in horse racing, first recorded 1690s (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 late 15c. Figurative sense (of immaterial things) is recorded from 1560s.
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," early 14c., 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" (mid-13c., 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).
"The stallers up are gratified with such part of the gains acquired as the liberality of the knuckling gentlemen may prompt them to bestow." [J.H. Vaux, "Flash Dictionary," 1812]
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: late 14c., 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."