ascetic living on the top of a pillar, 1630s, from Ecclesiastical Greek stylites, from stylos "pillar," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."
make of pianos, from Henry Englehard Steinway (1797-1871), celebrated German piano-builder who founded the firm in New York in 1853.
"betroth (two people), bind in wedlock; pledge oneself to," early 12c., from Old English handfæsten and cognate Old Norse handfesta "to pledge, betroth; strike a bargain by shaking hands;" for first element see hand (n.); second element is from Proto-Germanic causative verb *fastjan "to make firm," from PIE *past- "solid, firm" (see fast (adj.)). Related: Handfasted; handfasting. The noun in Old English was handfæstung.
late 14c., resisten, of persons, "withstand (someone), oppose;" of things, "stop or hinder (a moving body);" from Old French resister "hold out against" (14c.) and directly from Latin resistere "to make a stand against, oppose; to stand back; withstand," from re- "against" (see re-) + sistere "take a stand, stand firm" (from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm"). Of attacks, invasions, etc., 1530s. Related: Resisted; resisting.
"made firm, solid, hard, or compact," 1736, past-participle adjective from consolidate. Of bills in parliament, 1741; of money, debt, etc., 1753.
mid-14c., destinen, "set apart, ordain or appoint to a use," from Old French destiner (12c.), from Latin destinare "make fast or firm, establish," from de- "completely, formally" (see de-) + -stinare (related to stare "to stand") from PIE *steno-, suffixed form of root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."
Originally in English of the actions of deities, fate, etc.; of human choices or actions, "predetermine, as by divine decree," from early 16c. Related: Destined.
1590s, "state of standing still; firmness," from French consistence (Modern French consistance) "a standing fast," from Medieval Latin consistentia, literally "a standing together," from Latin consistentem (nominative consistens), present participle of consistere "to stand firm, take a standing position, stop, halt," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + sistere "to place," causative of stare "to stand, be standing" (from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm"). Meaning "coherence, solidity, state or degree of density" is recorded from 1620s.
1540s, "to exist;" c. 1600, "retain the existing state," from French subsister and directly from Latin subsistere "to stand still or firm, take a stand, take position; abide, hold out," from sub "under, up to" (see sub-) + sistere "to assume a standing position, stand still, remain; set, place, cause to stand still" (from PIE *si-st-, reduplicated form of root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm"). Meaning "to support oneself" (in a certain way) is from 1640s. Related: Subsisted; subsisting.
late 14c., "not empty or hollow," from Old French solide "firm, dense, compact," from Latin solidus "firm, whole, undivided, entire," figuratively "sound, trustworthy, genuine," from PIE *sol-ido-, suffixed form of root *sol- "whole."
Meaning "firm, hard, compact" is from 1530s. Meaning "entirely of the same stuff" is from 1710. Of qualities, "well-established, considerable" c. 1600. As a mere intensifier, 1830. Slang sense of "wonderful, remarkable" first attested 1920 among jazz musicians. As an adverb, "solidly, completely," 1650s. Solid South in U.S. political history is attested from 1858. Solid state as a term in physics is recorded from 1953; meaning "employing printed circuits and solid transistors" (as opposed to wires and vacuum tubes) is from 1959. Related: Solidly.
