Word: stiff Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *steyp Proto-Germanic *stīfaz Proto-West Germanic *stīf Old English stīf Middle English stif English stiff From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes, stīpō, from which English stevedore. The expected Modern English form would be /staɪf/; /stɪf/ is probably originally from compounds such as stiffly, where the vowel was shortened before a consonant cluster. Pronunciation: /stɪf/ 1. Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible. Example: “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;[…]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache. Example: You have discovered the corpse of Captain Willem of the MSV Majesty. His stiff fingers are wrapped tightly around a small datapad. 2. Inflexible; rigid. Labels: figuratively 3. Formal in behavior; unrelaxed. 4. Harsh, severe. Labels: colloquial Example: He was eventually caught, and given a stiff fine. Example: “Yes. I believe she has passed quite a stiff exam.” 5. Painful or more rigid than usual as a result of excessive or unaccustomed exercise. Example: My legs are stiff after climbing that hill yesterday. 6. Potent. Example: a stiff drink; a stiff dose; a stiff breeze Example: [Badminton] was popular in India because of the climate, where it was played outdoors, but in England the stiff breezes made it impossible to play without heavily loaded shuttlecocks. 7. Expensive, pricey. Labels: informal Example: He had the practised face of a dealer also. But he was a Jew and chaffering was in his blood, and he said, "A bit stiff, isn't it? I mean without a guarantee that it's by the original maker?" 8. Dead, deceased. Labels: informal 9. Erect. Labels: slang Example: Adieu! faint-hearted instrument of lust; / That falselie hath betrayde our equale trust. / Hence-forth no more will I implore thine ayde, / Or thee, or man of cowardize upbrayde. / My little dilldo shall suply their kinde: / A knaue, that moues as light as leaues by winde; / That bendeth not, nor fouldeth anie deale, / But stands as stiff as he were made of steele; / And playes at peacock twixt my leggs right blythe, / And doeth my tickling swage with manie a sighe. / For, by saint Runnion! he'le refresh me well; / And neuer make my tender bellie swell. 10. Having a dense consistency; thick; (by extension) Difficult to stir. Example: Adding too much peanut butter to your Peanut Sauce recipe may cause your sauce to turn out too stiff. 11. Beaten until so aerated that they stand up straight on their own. Example: beat the egg whites until they are stiff 12. Of an equation, for which certain numerical solving methods are numerically unstable, unless the step size is taken to be extremely small. 13. Keeping upright. 14. Of a shot, landing so close to the flagstick that it should be very easy to sink the ball with the next shot. Example: I go all out, go for the long ball, the stiff shots to the pin, aim for the back of the cup. 15. Delivered more forcefully than needed, whether intentionally or accidentally, thus causing legitimate pain to the opponent.