stony
See also: Stony
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- stoney (obsolete)
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English stony, stoni, stani, from Old English stāniġ, stǣniġ (“stony, rocky”), from Proto-Germanic *stainagaz (“stony”), equivalent to stone + -y. Cognate with Scots stany (“stony”), West Frisian stienich (“stony”), Dutch stenig (“stony, metalled”), German steinig (“stony, rocky, gravelly”), Swedish stenig (“stony, rocky, pebbly”).
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈstəʊni/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈstoʊni/
Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊni
AdjectiveEdit
stony (comparative stonier, superlative stoniest)
- As hard as stone.
- Containing or made up of stones.
- (figuratively) Of a person, lacking warmth and emotion.
- Synonyms: cold, cool, hard-hearted, heartless, impassive, unemotional, unfeeling
- Antonyms: passionate, warm
- (figuratively) Of an action or expression such as a look, showing no warmth of emotion.
- 1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, OCLC 1000449192, page 264:
- o’er the heaps of dead,
Whose stony eyes glared in the morning light,
I trod; […]
- (UK and Australia, slang) Short for stony broke: without any money.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:impoverished
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Part I, episode 1]”, in Ulysses, London: The Egoist Press, published October 1922, OCLC 2297483:
- Seriously, Dedalus. I’m stony. Hurry out to your school kip and bring us back some money.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
hard as stone
containing stones
|
of a person
broke — see broke
ReferencesEdit
- “stony, adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1917.
AnagramsEdit
Middle EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Inherited from Old English stāniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *stainag, from Proto-Germanic *stainagaz; equivalent to ston + -y.
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
stony
- Comprised or composed of stone or rock
- Made or built of stone or rock
- Covered in stones or pebbles
- Inhabiting a stony environment
- (figuratively) emotionless; stolid
- (medicine) hard, solid
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “stōnī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-10.