Stiretrus anchorage. 
(Hair-line shows natural 
size.) 
stir 
6. A house of correction ; a lockup ; a prison. 
[Thieves' slang.] 
I was in Brummagem, and was seven days in the new 
stir, and nearly broke my neck. 
Mayheio, London Labour and London Poor, I. 469. 
Stir 2 (stir), n. [A corruption of sir.] Sir. 
[Scottish vulgarism.] 
I'm seeking for service, stir. Scott, Old Mortality, viii. 
Stirabout (ster'a-bout"), . [< stir* + about.] 
1. Oatmeal or other porridge. 
The fifth book is of pease-porridge, under which are 
included frumetary, water-gruel, milk-porridge, rice-milk, 
tlumary, stir-about, and the like. 
IT. King, Art of Cookery, Letter Ix. 
2. Oatmeal and dripping or bacon-fat mixed 
together and stirred about in a frying-pan. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
Stiretrus (sti-re'trus), n. [ML. (Laporte, 1833), 
< Gr. areipoz, barren, + Tfrpnv, the abdomen.] 
A notable genus of true 
bugs, of the family Penta- 
tnmiilx, comprising about 25 
species peculiar to America, 
most of them tropical. One 
species, S. anchorago, is found in 
the southern United States, and is 
a common enemy of the chinch- 
bug, Colorado potato-beetle, and 
cotton-worm. 
Stiriated (stir'i-a-ted), o. [< 
"stiriate (< L. stiria, a frozen 
drop, an icicle; cf. still 2 ) + 
-ed'*.] Adorned with pendants 
like icicles. 
StiriOUSt (stir'i-us), a. [< L. stiria, a frozen 
drop, an icicle, + -ous.] Consisting of or re- 
sembling icicles. 
Crystal is found sometimes in rocks, and in some places 
not much unlike thestirious or stillicidious dependencies 
of ice. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., il. 1. 
Stirk (sterk), n. [Also sterk, sturk ; < ME. stirk, 
styrk, sterk, stirke, styrke, < AS. stirc, a young 
cow, heifer, styre, styric, a young steer, = MD. 
stierick = MLG. sterke, > G. starve, starke, a 
young cow, heifer, G. dial, sterk, a young steer ; 
usually explained as derived, with dim. suffix -ic, 
< AS. steor, etc., a steer; but prob. connected, 
as orijg. 'a young cow that has not yet calved,' 
with OHG. stero, MHG. xter, a ram, Goth, staira, 
barren, L. sterilis, barren, Gr. arclpof, artptijMs, 
barren, Skt. start, barren, sterile: see sterile."] 
An animal of the ox or cow kind from one to 
two years old. [Prov. Eng. or Scotch.] 
Stirless (ster'les), a. [< stir* + -less.] Still; 
motionless; inactive; very quiet. [Bare.] 
She kept her hollow, stirless eyes on his. There was an 
absence of movement about her almost oppressive. She 
seemed not even to breathe. Harper's May., LXXVI. 228. 
stirn (stern), n. Same as stern 5 . 
stiropt, n. An old spelling of stirrup. 
stirpt (sterp), n. [< ME. stirpe, < L. stirps, a 
stock, root, race.] Stock; race; family. 
So is she spronge of noble stirp and high. 
Court of Love, 1. 16. 
Democracies ... are commonly more quiet, and less 
subject to sedition, than where there are stirps of nobles. 
Bacon, Nobility (ed. 1887). 
Stirpicultural (ster-pi-kul'tur-al), a. Pertain- 
ing to stirpiculture. The Sanitarian, XXIV. 514. 
stirpiculture (ster'pi-kul-tur), n. [< L. stirps, 
a stock, race, + cultura, culture.] The breed- 
ing of special stocks or strains. 
Sentimental objections in the way of the higher stirpi- 
culture. The Nation, Aug. 10, 1876, p. 92. 
stirps (sterps), n. ; pi. stirpes (ster'pez). [L.: see 
stirp.] 1. Race; lineage; family; in law, the 
person from whom a family is descended. See 
per stirpes, under per. 2. Imool., a classifi- 
catory group of uncertain rank and no fixed po- 
sition, by MacLeay made intermediate between 
a family and a tribe ; a superfamily. Compare 
group*, section, cohort, andphalanx. 3. In hot., 
a race or permanent variety. 
stirrageH (ster'aj), n. [< stir* + -age.] The 
act of stirring ; agitation; commotion; stir. 
Every small stirrage waketh them. 
Granger, On Eccles. (1621), p. 320. 
stirrage 2 t, Same as steerage. 
Stirrer (ster'er), . [< stir 1 + -er*.] 1. One who 
stirs ; especially, one who is active or bustling. 
Come on, . . . give me your hand, sir; an early stirrer. 
Shale., 2 Hen. IV., ill. 2. 3. 
Bris. Good day to you. 
Cam. You are an early stirrer. 
Fletcher, Double Marriage, i. 1. 
2. One who stirs or agitates anything, as a 
liquid, with the hand or an implement for stir- 
ring. 3. An implement or a machine used for 
stirring a liquid or the like. 
3/4 
5953 
The liquid being taken out on a pointed glass rod or 
'tirri-r. W. B. Carpenter, Micros., 207. 
4. One who incites or instigates ; an instiga- 
tor: often with up: as, a stirrer up of conten- 
tion. 
We must give, I say, 
Unto the motives, and the stirrers up 
Of humours in the blood. 
B. Jonson, Alchemist, iii. 1. 
Stirrers of sedition, without any zeal for freedom. 
lUacaulay, Sir W. Temple. 
Stirring (ster'ing), n. [< ME. steringe, styrymji; 
stcriinge ; verbal n. of stir*, .] 1 . 'Movement ; 
motion; activity; effort; the act of moving or 
setting in motion. 
Eche abouten other goynge, 
Causeth of othres ttteringe. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, L 800. 
The emotions voiced in his song are stirrings of the spirit 
rather than thrills of the senses. 
The Atlantic, LXV., p. 4 of adv'ts. 
2f. Temptation. 
jif any sterynge on me stele, 
Out of the clos of thi clennesse 
Wysse me, lord, in wo <t wele, 
And kepe me fram vnkyndnesse. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 251. 
3. In agri., the second tilth or fallow. Florio, 
p. 273. (Halliwell.) 4f. Riot; commotion. 
I'll lie about Charing-cross, for, if there be any stirrings, 
there we shall have 'em. 
Webster and Dekker, Northward Ho, i. 2. 
stirring (ster'ing), p. a. [Ppr. of stir*, v.] 1. 
Being m active motion ; characterized by stir 
or activity; active; bustling; lively; vivacious; 
brisk: as, a stirring lif e ; stirring times. 
Such a merry, nimble, stirring spirit. 
Shak., L. L. L., v. 2. 16. 
Those who appear the most stirring in the scene may 
possibly not be the real movers. Burke, Bev. in France. 
2. Animating; rousing; awakening; stimulat- 
ing; exciting; inspiriting: as, a stirring ora- 
tion ; a stirring march. 
Often the ring of his verse is sonorous, and overcomes 
the jagged consonantal diction with stirring lyrical effect. 
Stedman, Viet. Poets, p. 302. 
3f. Fickle. 
A stythe man of his stature, stirond of wille, 
Menyt hym to mony thinges, & of mynde gode. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.X 1. 3833. 
Stirrup (stir'- or ster'up), . [Early mod. E. 
also stirrop, stirop, sterope; X ME. stirop, styrop, 
styrope, sterepe, < AS. stirap, stigrdp, stigerap 
(= MD. stegerep, steeghreej), also stegelreep = 
OHG. stegareif, MHG. G. stegreif = Icel. stig- 
reip), lit. 'mounting-rope,' < stigan, mount, + 
rap, rope: see sty* and rope*. Cf. D. stijg-beu- 
gel = G. steig-biigel = Sw. stig-bygel = Dan. 
stig-bojle, a stirrup, lit. a ring or loop for mount- 
ing (see bail*).] 1. A support for the foot of 
a person mounted 
on a horse, usual- 
ly a metal loop 
with the bottom 
part flat and cor- 
rugated or finish- 
ed with points to 
give a hold to the 
sole of the boot 
and to aid in 
mounting. The 
metal loop is sus- 
ended from the sad- 
le by a strap or 
thong, which in mod- 
ern saddles is adjust- 
able in length. The 
stirrup of Arab or 
other Eastern horse- 
men has a very broad 
rest for the foot ; this 
projects sometimes 
beyond the heel, and 
the sharp edge of it 
serves instead of a 
spur. The stirrups of 
some modern military 
saddles have a strong 
front piece of leather or other material which prevents 
the foot from passing too far into the loop and protects 
the front of the leg. See also cut under saddle. 
Our hoste upon his stiropes stood anon. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Shipman's Tale, 1. 1. 
Ill hold your stirrup when you do alight. 
And without grudging wait till you return. 
Beau, and Fl., Honest Man's Fortune, iv. 1. 
2. Naut. , a rope with an eye at its end, through 
which a foot -rope is rove, and by which it is 
supported. The ends of stirrups are securely fastened 
to the yard, and they steady the men when reefing or 
furling sails. 
3. In mach., any piece resembling in shape 
and functions the stirrup of a saddle, as the 
iron loop by which a mill-saw hangs from the 
i, Stirrup for poulaine ; 2, modern 
stirrup ; 3, Mexican wooden stirrup ; 4, 
Mexican wooden stirrup with taps. 
stitch 
muley-head or in the sash. 4. In carp., < !. .. 
an iron loop-strap or other device for securing 
a rafter-post or -strut to a tie, or for support- 
ing a beam, etc. 5. A hold for the foot at the 
end of the stock of a large crossbow, lo keep 
it firm while the bow is bent and the string 
drawn to the notch. See cut under tirlmtixtci-. 
6. In aunt., the stapes or stirrup-bone. 
Stirrup-bar (stir'up-biir), n. The spring-bar 
or other device on a riding-saddle to which the 
upper end of the stirrup-strap is fastened. 
stirrup-bone (stir'up-bon), n. The stapes of a 
mammal : so called from its shape. 
stirrup-cup (stir'up-kup), ?/. A cup of wine or 
other liquor presented to a rider when mounted 
and about to take his departure ; a parting-cup. 
Stirrup-hose (stir'up-ho/.), n. pi. Heavy stock- 
ings worn over the other garments for the legs 
by men traveling on horseback in the seven- 
teenth century, and probably earlier. They are 
described as made very large at the top, and secured by 
points to the girdle or the bag-breeches. 
Stirrup-iron (stir'up-I6ra), n. The stirrup 
proper that is, the metal loop in which the 
foot is placed, as distinguished from the leather 
strap which suspends it. 
Stirrup-lantern (stir'up-lan"tern), n. A small 
lantern with an iron frame fastened below the 
stirrup to light the road at night and also to 
warm the rider's feet: a contrivance used in the 
fifteenth century and later. 
Stirrup-leather (stir'up-leTH"er), . The 
leather strap by which a stirrup hangs from the 
saddle. 
Stirrup-muscle (stir'up-mus'l), n. The stape- 
dius. 
Stirrup-oil (stir'up-oil), n. A sound beating; 
a drubbing. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
stirrup-piece (stir'up-pes), n. In carp., mach., 
etc., anything which performs the office of a 
stirrup, in hanging from a fixed point of support 
and supporting anything else which lies in its 
loop or hollow. 
stirtet, stirtt. Obsolete forms of the preterit 
and past participle of start*. 
Stitch (stich), n. [< ME. stiche, styche, < AS. 
stice, a pricking sensation (also in comp. in- 
stice, an inward stitch, fxr-stice, a sudden stitch 
or twinge, stic-adl, stic-wxrc, stitch in the side), 
not found in lit. sense ' pricking,' ' piercing,' 
= OFries. steke, stek = OHG. stih, MHG. G. 
stich, a pricking, prick, sting, stab, stitch, = 
Goth, stiks, a point of time ; from the verb, AS. 
"stecan, etc., prick, sting, stick: see stick*, 
stick%.] 1. An acute sudden pain like that 
produced by the thrust of a needle ; a sharp 
spasmodic pain, especially in the intercostal 
muscles : as, a stitch in the side. Such pains 
in the side may be myalgic, neuralgic, pleuritic, 
or due to muscular cramp. 
'Twas but a stitch into my side, 
And sair it troubles me. 
The Queen's Marie (Child's Ballads, III. 117). 
Corporal sickness is a perpetual monitor to the con- 
science, every pang a reproof, and every stitch reads a 
lesson of mortality. Rev. T. Adams, Works, I. 441. 
2f. A contortion; a grimace; a twist of the 
face. 
If you talk, 
Or pull your face into a stitch again, 
As I love truth, I shall be very angry. 
Beau, and Fl., Captain, ii. 2. 
3. In sewing : (a) One movement of a threaded 
needle, passing in and out of the fabric, and 
uniting two parts by the thread, which is drawn 
tight after each insertion, (b) The part of the 
thread left in the fabric by this movement. 
4. In knitting, netting, crochet, embroidery, lace- 
making, etc. : (a) One whole movement of the 
implement or implements used, as knitting- 
needles, bobbins, hook, etc. (6) The result of 
this movement, shown in the work itself. 5. 
The kind or style of work produced by stitch- 
ing: as, buttonhole-stfc/( ; CTOSS-stitch ; pillow- 
lace stitch ; by extension, a kind or style of work 
with the loom. For stitches in lace, see point*. 
See also whip-stitch. 6t. Distance passed over 
at one time ; stretch ; distance ; way. 
How far have ye come to-day ? So they said, From the 
house of Gaius our friend. I promise you. said he, you 
have gone a good stitch ; you may well be aweary ; sit 
down. Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, p. 314. 
7. In agri., a space between two double fur- 
rows in plowed ground ; a furrow or ridge. 
And many men at plough he made, that dravc earth here 
and there, 
And turn'd up stitches orderly. Chapman, Iliad, xviii. 495. 
8. A bit of clothing ; a rag : as, he had not 
a dry stitch on. [Colloq.] 9. In bookbinti- 
