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In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
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1828 Noah Webster Dictionary
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1828.mshaffer.com › Word [stiff]

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stiff

STIFF, a. [Gr.]

1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid; applicable to any substance; as stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost.

They, rising on stiff pinions, tower the mid aerial sky.

2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as they cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff, or not stiff enough.

3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamens language, a stiff gale or breeze.

4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued.

How stiff is my vile sense!

5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance.

It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.

A war ensues; the Cretans own their cause, stiff to defend their hospitable laws.

6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; as a stiff formal style.

7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as stiff behavior.

The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious and reserved.

8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence.

This is stiff news.

9. In seamens language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.


Evolution (or devolution) of this word [stiff]

1828 Webster1844 Webster1913 Webster

STIFF, a. [Gr.]

1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid; applicable to any substance; as stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost.

They, rising on stiff pinions, tower the mid aerial sky.

2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as they cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff, or not stiff enough.

3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamens language, a stiff gale or breeze.

4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued.

How stiff is my vile sense!

5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance.

It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.

A war ensues; the Cretans own their cause, stiff to defend their hospitable laws.

6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; as a stiff formal style.

7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as stiff behavior.

The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious and reserved.

8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence.

This is stiff news.

9. In seamens language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.

STIFF, a. [Sax. stif; G. steif; D. and Sw. styf; Dan. stiv; allied to L. stipo, stabilis, Eng. staple, Gr. στιφρος, στιβιαω, στειβω.]

  1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid applicable to any substance; as, stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost. They, rising on stiff pinions, tower / The mid aerial sky. – Milton.
  2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as the cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff, or not stiff enough.
  3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamen's language, a stiff gale or breeze.
  4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued. How stiff my vile sense! – Shak.
  5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance. It is a shame to stand stiff a foolish argument. – Taylor. A war ensues; the Cretans own their cause, / Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. – Dryden.
  6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; a stiff formal style.
  7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as, stiff behavior. The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff ceremonious and reserved. – Addison.
  8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence. This is stiff news. – Shak.
  9. In seamen's language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.

Stiff
  1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.

    [They] rising on stiff pennons, tower
    The mid aërial sky.     Milton.

  2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
  3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
  4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary.

    It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. Jer. Taylor.

    A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause,
    Stiff to defend their hospitable laws.     Dryden.

  5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style.

    The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved. Addison.

  6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear.

    [Obs. or Colloq.] "This is stiff news." Shak.
  7. Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank.

    Totten.
  8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price.

    [Slang]

    Stiff neck, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain.

    Syn. -- Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous.

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Stiff

STIFF, adjective [Gr.]

1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid; applicable to any substance; as stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost.

They, rising on stiff pinions, tower the mid aerial sky.

2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as they cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff or not stiff enough.

3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamens language, a stiff gale or breeze.

4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued.

How stiff is my vile sense!

5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance.

It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.

A war ensues; the Cretans own their cause, stiff to defend their hospitable laws.

6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; as a stiff formal style.

7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as stiff behavior.

The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff ceremonious and reserved.

8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence.

This is stiff news.

9. In seamens language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.

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The meanings of words have been distorted to the point that they are nearly unrecognizable, some carrying connotations which pollute the use of the word in any other context, and other completely redefined. It is my wish to reverse the trend.

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Word of the Day

importance

IMPORT'ANCE, n.

1. Weight; consequence; a bearing on some interest; that quality of any thing by which it may affect a measure, interest or result. The education of youth is of great importance to a free government. A religious education is of infinite importance to every human being.

2. Weight or consequence in the scale of being.

Thy own importance know.

Nor bound thy narrow views to things below.

3. Weight or consequence in self-estimation.

He believes himself a man of importance.

4. Thing implied; matter; subject; importunity. [In these senses, obsolete.]

Random Word

shabbiness

SHAB'BINESS, n.

1. Raggedness; as the shabbiness of a garment.

2. Meanness; paltriness.

Noah's 1828 Dictionary

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Noah Webster, the Father of American Christian education, wrote the first American dictionary and established a system of rules to govern spelling, grammar, and reading. This master linguist understood the power of words, their definitions, and the need for precise word usage in communication to maintain independence. Webster used the Bible as the foundation for his definitions.

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