First published 1915; not fully revised More entries for stay
staynoun2
Factsheet
What does the noun stay mean?
There are 17 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun stay, six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
stay has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun stay?
About 2occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 2.0 |
| 1760 | 2.0 |
| 1770 | 2.1 |
| 1780 | 2.1 |
| 1790 | 2.3 |
| 1800 | 2.4 |
| 1810 | 2.5 |
| 1820 | 2.5 |
| 1830 | 2.4 |
| 1840 | 2.3 |
| 1850 | 2.2 |
| 1860 | 2.2 |
| 1870 | 2.2 |
| 1880 | 2.2 |
| 1890 | 2.2 |
| 1900 | 2.1 |
| 1910 | 1.9 |
| 1920 | 1.8 |
| 1930 | 1.7 |
| 1940 | 1.7 |
| 1950 | 1.7 |
| 1960 | 1.7 |
| 1970 | 1.7 |
| 1980 | 1.7 |
| 1990 | 1.8 |
| 2000 | 1.8 |
| 2010 | 1.8 |
How is the noun stay pronounced?
British English
/steɪ/
stay
U.S. English
/steɪ/
stay
Where does the noun stay come from?
Earliest known use
early 1500s
The earliest known use of the noun stay is in the early 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for stay is from around 1515.
stay is of multiple origins. Probably formed within English, by conversion. Perhaps also partly a borrowing from French.
Etymons: stay v.2; French estaye.
Nearby entries
- stavesacre, n.a1400–
- stavesman, n.1786–
- stave-wise, adv.1659
- stave wood, n.1790–
- staving, n.1491–
- staving, adj.a1625–
- Stavka, n.1928–
- stavy, adj.1888–
- staxis, n.1745–
- stay, n.¹Old English–
- stay, n.²c1515–
- stay, n.³?1523–
- stay, v.¹c1440–
- stay, v.²1526–
- stay, v.³a1613–
- stay-ashore, n.1884–
- stay-at-home, adj. & n.1806–
- stay-away, n.1867–
- stay-a-while, n.1898–
- stay-band, n.1844–
- stay-bar, n.1399–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for stay, n.²
stay, n.² was first published in 1915; not fully revised.
stay, n.² was last modified in June 2025.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project, and oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Entries which have not been fully revised may include partial interim updates, including:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, especially to improve clarity, accuracy, or intelligibility;
- new or updated quotation evidence, and reverified or redated bibliographical information;
- new or updated pronunciations (transcriptions and audio files);
- new or revised etymological information and improved coverage of variant spellings;
- new senses or phrases added in print and online updates since OED2 (1989).
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into stay, n.² in June 2025.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1915)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
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Chicago 18
Oxford English Dictionary, “,” , .
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MLA 9
“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
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APA 7
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved , from
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Citation details
Factsheet for stay, n.²
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- stavesacre, n.a1400–
- stavesman, n.1786–
- stave-wise, adv.1659
- stave wood, n.1790–
- staving, n.1491–
- staving, adj.a1625–
- Stavka, n.1928–
- stavy, adj.1888–
- staxis, n.1745–
- stay, n.¹Old English–
- stay, n.²c1515–
- stay, n.³?1523–
- stay, v.¹c1440–
- stay, v.²1526–
- stay, v.³a1613–
- stay-ashore, n.1884–
- stay-at-home, adj. & n.1806–
- stay-away, n.1867–
- stay-a-while, n.1898–
- stay-band, n.1844–
- stay-bar, n.1399–
