sturdy
UK /ˈstɜːdi/ · US /ˈstɜrdi/ adjective, noun, proper noun
Forms sturdier sturdiest Sturdys
- adjective Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong. “a sturdy oak tree”
- adjective Solid in structure or person. “It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather.”
- adjective (obsolete) Foolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn.
- adjective Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality. “a man of sturdy piety or patriotism”
- noun A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
- proper noun A surname from Middle English.
Synonyms
hardy staunch stalwart roboreous roborean gid turnsick stout uncompromising inflexible tough
Etymology
From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear. A speculative theory is that thrushes eat leftover winery grapes and thus became drunk, but this meets with objections.
Disease in cows and sheep is by extension of sense of “daze”, while sense of “strongly built” is of late 14th century, and relationship to earlier sense is less clear, perhaps from sense of a firm strike (causing a daze) or a strong, violent person.
A nickname from Middle English stourdy (“bold, valiant, reckless”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Foolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn; unrelenting; unfeeling; stern.
- adjective Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality; as, a man of sturdy piety or patriotism.
- noun A disease in sheep and cattle, marked by great nervousness, or by dullness and stupor.
Etymology [OE. sturdi inconsiderable, OF. estourdi stunned, giddy, thoughtless, rash, F. étourdi, p.p. of OF. estourdir to stun, to render giddy, to amaze, F. étourdir; of uncertain origin. The sense has probably been influenced by E. stout.]
Etymology [OF. estourdi giddiness, stupefaction.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sturdy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details