stony

See also: Stony

English edit

Alternative forms edit

stoney (obsolete)

Etymology edit

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”).

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈstəʊni/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈstoʊni/
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -əʊni

Adjective edit

stony (comparative stonier, superlative stoniest)

As hard as stone.
Synonym: rock-hard

Antonym: soft
Containing or made up of stones.
Synonyms: pebbly, rocky, shingly

a stony path
- 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 443:
  The track was stony with a grassy camber up the middle.
(figuratively) Of a person, lacking warmth and emotion.
Synonyms: cold, cool, hard-hearted, heartless, impassive, unemotional, unfeeling

Antonyms: passionate, warm
- 2012 March 19, David Denby, “Everybody Comes to Rick’s: “Casablanca” on the Big Screen”, in The New Yorker‎^[1]:
  When Victor Laszlo leads the demoralized French in the “Marseilles^{[sic – meaning Marseillaise]},” and even Yvonne, the chippy who is sleeping with a Nazi officer, joins in, the stoniest intellectual collapses in tears.
(figuratively) Of an action or expression such as a look, showing no warmth of emotion.
Synonyms: cold, cool, frosty, unwelcoming

Antonyms: welcoming, warm

She gave him a stony reception.
- 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, page 264:
  o’er the heaps of dead, / Whose stony eyes glared in the morning light, / I trod; […]
- 1977 April 9, “Mailer Mauls "Perverts"”, in Gay Community News, page 2:
  The Oscar-thrilled audience reacted to Mailer's attempt at humor in stony silence.
(UK and Australia, slang) Short for stony broke: without any money.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:impoverished
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
  Seriously, Dedalus. I’m stony. Hurry out to your school kip and bring us back some money.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

hard as stone

Finnish: kivikova (fi)
Galician: pétreo m
Latin: lapideus
Persian: سنگی (fa) (sangi)
Polish: kamienny (pl) m

containing stones

Bulgarian: каменист (bg) (kamenist)
Danish: stenet
Finnish: kivinen (fi), kallioinen (fi)
German: steinern (de)
Gothic: 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍃 (stainahs)
Greek:
Ancient: πετρώδης (petrṓdēs)
Hungarian: köves (hu)
Icelandic: grýttur
Latin: saxōsus, lapidosus
Luxembourgish: stengeg
Norwegian:
Bokmål: steinete

Nynorsk: steinete
Old Norse: grjót
Persian: سنگدار (sangdâr)
Polish: kamienisty (pl) m
Portuguese: pedroso m
Swedish: stenig (sv)

of a person

Bulgarian: хладен (bg) (hladen), безразличен (bg) (bezrazličen)
French: froid (fr), sec (fr)
Galician: frío (gl) m
Persian: سنگدل (fa) (sangdel)

of an action

Galician: duro (gl) m

broke — see broke

References edit

“stony, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1917.

Anagrams edit

Tonys, Tyson, synto

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

stani, staniȝ, stany, stoni, stonye

Etymology edit

Inherited from Old English stāniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *stainag, from Proto-Germanic *stainagaz; equivalent to ston +‎ -y.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈstɔːniː/

Adjective edit

stony

Comprised or composed of stone or rock
Made or built of stone or rock
Covered in stones or pebbles
Inhabiting a stony environment
(figurative) emotionless; stolid
(medicine) hard, solid

Descendants edit

English: stony
Scots: stany

References edit

“stōnī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-10.