Obs. exc. Sc. Forms: 1–3 stíð, 4 stiþ, styþ, (3 stitth), 4–5 styth, 5 stythe, 5–7 stithe, (5 steyth), 3– stith; Sc. 8–9 styth, 9 stythe. [OE. stíð = OFris. stîth, ON. stinn-r (MSw. stind-er):—OTeut. *stenþo- (a type *stenþjo- appears in MLG. stîde, WFlem. stijde, stide).]
1. Of material things: Not bending or giving easily, unyielding, stout, strong. ? Obs. exc. Sc.
Beowulf, 1533 (Gr.). Hit [a sword] on eorðan læʓ, stið and stylecʓ.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 288. Ðeos wyrt … hafað lange leaf & stiþe.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xii. (Mathias), 278. [He] went furtht & hyme-self can hynge with a cord bath styth & strange.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, X. 364. A cruk thai maid … Of irn, that wes styth and square.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 5461. And all þe strands of þe streme stode full of stith reedis.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1997. Was no stightlyng with stere, ne no stithe ropes, Ne no sayle, þat might serue for vnsound wedur. Ibid., 13282.
a. 1420. Aunters of Arthur, 591. Stiþe stapeles of stele þey strike done stiȝte.
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 5005. He was taken, And in to stithe fettirs schakyn.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, X. vi. 17. Bend vp ȝour ayris styth, and rays ȝour schippys.
[1871. P. H. Waddell, Psalms in Scottis xxxi. 4. Redd me frae the girns they hae happit for me; for yerlane are my stoop sae styth.]
† b. Of a place of defence or confinement: Strong, stout; formidable, powerful. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. lx 2. Þu me ʓelæddest mid lufan hyhte, wære me stranga tor, stið wið feondum.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 897. Tounes þai ȝold him skete And cites stiþe of stan.
1340–70. Alisaunder, 91. They … turned tit to a towne þat Attanus hyght, A stiþ stede, & a strong.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 946. [He was] put in pressone stith of stane.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VII. 3202. Þis Kynge … made hym for to duel In til Edynburgh þe stythe castel.
2. Inflexible, rigid, stiff.
† a. (OE. only.) Of the neck: = STIFF a.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xxxiii. 228. & him ðone stiðan swioran [L. rigida colla] fortræde.
b. Sc. Rigid (in death). ? Obs.
1755. R. Forbes, Ajax’ Sp., Jrnl. fr. Lond. to Portsmouth, 30. An’ the horses tak a brattle now, they may … ding me yavil, an’ as styth as gin I had been elf-shot.
1768. Ross, Helenore, 8. Up by the lambie’s lying yonder styth.
1808. Jamieson, s.v. Stith 3 Sheet styth, shot dead, Aberd.
c. Sc. Of a rope: Taut. ? Obs.
1825. Jamieson, Stith, Styth … 3. Stiff, in consequence of being stretched; applied to a rope, Upp. Clydes.
† 3. Hard, severe, stern, harsh, austere, cruel towards persons or things. Obs.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past. C., xvii. 126. Sie ðær eac reðnes [in a ruler], næs ðeah to stið.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen., 2848 (Gr.). Stiðum wordum, spræc him stefne to.
a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1086. Ac he wæs swa stið þat he ne rohte heora eallra nið.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 95. He demað stiðne dom þam forsunegede on his efter to-come.
† 4. Inflexible of purpose, immovable, steadfast; also, obstinately firm, stubborn. To stand stith, to stand firm. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. cxlvii. 6. For andwlitan celes, þær æni ne mæʓ him standan, stiðe mode.
c. 1205. Lay., 10083. Þes wes ræh þes wes strong Þes wes stið æn þonke.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1591. Esau wifuede us to dere Quan he … Toc of kin ðe canaan bi-gat, For-ði he maked him stið & strong.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 61 (Cott.). He þat stitthest wenis at stand [c. 1375 (Fairf.) stiþest to stande], Warre hym his fall is nexst his hand.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1725), 194. My broþer Safadyn Is riche of tenement, his sonnes strong & stith, Þer wille wille not be went.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VIII. 384. A lord … so veill bowrdand, And in battale so stith to stand.
5. Intense in degree or quality; not mild or weak; severe, violent, strong.
† a. of a conflict, contest, etc. Obs.
c. 1000. Battle of Maldon, 301. Þær wæs stið ʓemot.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 3461. Þair strut it was vn-stern stith.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 343. Thar wes oft bikkyrring stith & stout.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 9679. The store was full stith.
b. of the weather, a storm, etc. ? Obs.
c. 1100. O. E. Chron. (MS. D.), an. 1048. Her wæs se stiþa winter. Ibid., an. 1052. He … feng swa stið weder þat he uneaðe a wæiʓ com.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3266. Ðhunder, and leuene, and rein ðor-mong, God sente on ðat hird, stið and strong.
c. 1400. Sc. Trojan War, I. 413. And wedderis styth [wald] Baith ger fall rayn and haile.
c. 1420. Sir Amadace (Camd.), xlviii. Stithe stormes me ore-drofe.
1801. W. Beattie, Fruits of Time Parings (1871), 24. Perforce of endrift styth He is oblig’d to seek a lyth Amo’ the byres.
† c. of a stream. Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, X. 84. Ane vattir … That ran doun by the hillis syde, And wes rycht styth, bath deip & wyde.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, V. 64. Quhair that Ionium clepit is the see, And als forgane the stith stremis of Malee.
† d. of things affecting the taste or smell. Obs.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 156. Ʒenim þysse wyrte sæd … ʓemencged mid stiþum ecede.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 932. Iason … Dange on the deuyll … Tyll the stremys of stynke & of stythe venum Past out in the place pyne to be-holde.
1674. Ray, N. C. Words, 45. Stithe Cheese, i. e. strong Cheese.
† e. of the voice, a noise. Obs.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. liv. 17. Þæt þu bliðe me, mine stefne, stiðe ʓehyre.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 22527. All bestes … cri sal wit stiþer steuen þan nu mai do ten or elleuen, All for dred.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 1251. Sa stithe a steuyn … As it was semand to siȝt as all þe soyle trymblid.
† 6. Stout, stalwart, valiant, mighty. Obs.
Chiefly in alliterative phrases in ME. poetry.
a. 1300–1400. Cursor M., 18181 (Gött.). Sua stith [Cott. stijf] in sture, and king of bliss, Dede and alsua liuand [þou] es.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 66. A turnament þai ches Wiþ kniȝtes stiþe on stede.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom. (1862), 10. [John the Baptist] said a stither gom than I, Efter me sal com in hy.
c. 1330. Amis & Amil., 1303. On stedes that were stithe and strong, Thai riden togider with schaftes long.
c. 1400. Rowland & Otuel, 485. Þis was a stythe stroke of a knyghte, & no thynge of a childe!
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., IV. 912. A staloun asse ybolked, brawny, sadde And large ylimed, stronge & steyth.
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 697. In flesche tyme, quhen the fische war away flemyt, Quha was stewart bot the Stork, stallwart and styth.
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 678. Right styth, stuffit in steill, thai stotit na stynt, But buskit to battaille.
absol. c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 21. But olde stories of stithe þat astate helde, May be solas to sum þat it segh neuer.
