Part 764

The wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king.

Bacon.

With prudent stay he long deferred The rough contention.

Philips.

7. (Engin.) Strictly, a part in tension to hold the parts together, or stiffen them.

Stay bolt (Mech.), a bolt or short rod, connecting opposite plates, so as to prevent them from being bulged out when acted upon by a pressure which tends to force them apart, as in the leg of a steam boiler. -- Stay busk, a stiff piece of wood, steel, or whalebone, for the front support of a woman's stays. Cf. Busk. -- Stay rod, a rod which acts as a stay, particularly in a steam boiler.

Stayed (?), a. Staid; fixed; settled; sober; -- now written staid. See Staid. Bacon. Pope.

Stayed"ly, adv. Staidly. See Staidly. [R.]

Stayed"ness, n. 1. Staidness. [Archaic] W. Whately.

2. Solidity; weight. [R.] Camden.

Stay"er (?), n. One who upholds or supports that which props; one who, or that which, stays, stops, or restrains; also, colloquially, a horse, man, etc., that has endurance, an a race.

Stay"lace` (?), n. A lace for fastening stays.

Stay"less, a. Without stop or delay. Mir. for Mag.

Stay"mak`er (?), n. One whose occupation is to make stays.

Stay"nil (?), n. (Zoöl.) The European starling. [Prov. Eng.]

Stay"sail` (?), n. (Naut.) Any sail extended on a stay.

Stay"ship` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A remora, -- fabled to stop ships by attaching itself to them.

Stead (?), n. [OE. stede place, AS. stede; akin to LG. & D. stede, OS. stad, stedi, OHG. stat, G. statt, stätte, Icel. staðr, Dan. sted, Sw. stad, Goth. sta&?;s, and E. stand. √163. See Stand, and cf. Staith, Stithy.] 1. Place, or spot, in general. [Obs., except in composition.] Chaucer.

Fly, therefore, fly this fearful stead anon.

Spenser.

2. Place or room which another had, has, or might have. "Stewards of your steads." Piers Plowman.

In stead of bounds, he a pillar set.

Chaucer.

3. A frame on which a bed is laid; a bedstead. [R.]

The genial bed, Sallow the feet, the borders, and the stead.

Dryden.

4. A farmhouse and offices. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

The word is now commonly used as the last part of a compound; as, farmstead, homestead, readstead, etc.