stitch 
in;/, a connection of leaves or pieces of paper, 
through perforations an inch or so apart, with 
thread or wire. A single stitch is made with two per- 
forations only, the thread being tied near the entering 
place of the stitching-needle. A double stitch has three 
and sometimes four perforations, the thread being reversed 
in and out on the upper and under side at each perforation. 
A saddle-back xtitch lias its perforations in the center of the 
creased folded double leaves. A side-stitch has perfora- 
tions through the sides of the leaves, about one eighth of an 
inch from the back fold. A French stitch has two perfora- 
tions only in each section of the pamphlet, the second per- 
foration of the first section ending where the flrst perfora- 
tion of the second section begins, in which diagonal line 
the stitching-needle is put through each succeeding sec- 
tion, and is then reversed and locked at the end. A ma- 
chine-stitch is a succession of ordinary locked stitches 
made by the sewing-machine. A wire stitch has short 
staples of turned wire, which are forced through the 
leaves and clamped by one operation of the wire-stitching 
machine. See kettle-stitch. Blind stitch. See Wt'nrfi. 
Damask stitch. See damask. Dotted stitch. Same 
as dot-stitch. False stitch, in pillow-lace making, same 
as false pinhole (which see, under pinhole). Fancy, 
Flemish, German, glovers', gobelin, herring-bone, 
honeycomb, Idiot, Irish, overcast stitch. See the 
qualifying words. Outline-stitch. See outline. Plait- 
ed stitch. See plotted. Raised stitch. See rowel. 
Royal stitch. See royal. Russian stitch, A kind of 
ribbed stitch in crochet. Diet, of Needlework. Short 
Stitch, a kind of needlework used In embroidery of the 
simplest kind, where the ground is partly covered by 
single stitches of a thread usually of different color, the 
ground not so covered generally forming the pattern. 
Slanting stitch. See slant. to go through stitch 
Wltht, to prosecute to the end ; complete. 
And In regard of the main point, that they should never 
be able to go through stitch mth that war. 
Urquhart, tr. of Rabelais, Gargantua, i. 47. 
(See also backstitch, chain-stitch, crewel-stitch, cross-stitch, 
feather-stitch, hemstitch, lock-stitch, rope-stitch, spider-stitch, 
stem-stitch, streak-stitch, etc.) 
stitch (stich), v. [< ME. sticchen (pret. stigte, 
stigt), prick, stitch, = MD. sticken, D. stikJcen = 
OHG. sticchan, MHG. G. sticken, embroider, 
stitch ; from the noun. Cf . stick 1 , v.] I. trans. 
1. To unite by stitches; sew. 2. To orna- 
ment with stitches. 3. In agri., to form into 
ridges To stitch up. (a) To form or put together by 
sewing. 
5954 
United States S. longi^folia, a plant of similar habit, is 
named long-leaved stitchwort. The name is sometimes ex- 
tended, in books, to the whole genus. 
itithH (stith), a. [Also stithe ; < ME. stith, stithe, 
< AS. stith = OFries. stithj strong, hard, harsh ; 
of. Icel. stirdlir, stiff, rigid, harsh, severe.] 
Strong; hard. 
Telamocus he toke, his tru sone, 
Stake hym in a stith house, & stuerne men to kepe, 
Wallit lull wele, with water aboute. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 13844. 
Stith 2 t (stith), n. [< ME. stith, stithe, < Icel. 
stetlii = Sw. stad, an anvil: so called from its 
firmness; cf. Icel. stathr, a fixed place, AS. 
stede, a place, stead: see stead. Doublet of 
utitliy.'] An anvil; a stithy. 
The smyth 
That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his stith. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1188. 
Stithlyt (stith'li), adv. [ME., < AS. stithlice, 
strongly, < stith, strong: see stith 1 and -ly 2 .] 
Strongly; stiffly; greatly; sore. 
Stithly with stonys [they] steynyt hlr to dethe. 
Destruction of Troy (. E. T. 8.), L 12157. 
stithy (stith'i), . ; pi. stithies (-iz). [Also dial. 
stiddy, steddy, steady; an extension of stith 2 
(prob. due to confusion with smithy as related 
tosroi*): see stith 2 .'] 1. An anvil. 
" Let me sleep on that hard point, "said Varney ; "I can- 
not else perfect the device I have on the stithy." 
Scott, Kenilworth. 
2. A smithy; a smith's shop; a forge. 
And my Imaginations are as foul 
As Vulcan's stithy. Shak., Hamlet, iii 2. 89. 
stithy (stith'i), v. t. ; pret. and pp. stithied, ppr. 
stithying. [< stithy, n.] To forge on an anvil. 
The forge that tKthied Mars his helm. 
Shak., T. and C., iv. 5. 265. 
stithy-mant (stith'i-man), n. A smith. 
The subtle stithy-man that lived whilere. 
Bp. Hall, Satires, II. i. 44. (Dames.) 
Stive} (stiv), a. Same as steeve 1 for stiff. 
stoccade 
Hence 2. Any very small coin, or coin of lit- 
tle value. 
Entre nous, mon cher, I care not a stirer for popularity. 
Bultt'er, My Novel, ix. s. 
"There's fourteen foot and over," says the driver, 
" Worth twenty dollars, ef it 's worth a stiver." 
Lowell, Fitz Adam's Story. 
stiver 2 ! (sti'ver), n. [< stive^ + -cr 1 .] An in- 
habitant of the stews ; a harlot. Beau, and Fl., 
Scornful Lady, ii. 1. 
stiwardt, . A Middle English form of steward 
Stizostedion (sti-zo-ste'di-on), n. [NL. (Rafi- 
nesque, 1820), also'Stizostcdium, Stizotethidium. 
and prop. "Stizostethium, < Gr. ari&iv, prick, + 
im/mov, dim. of oTiyflof, breast.] In ichth., a genus 
of pike-perches, including two marked species 
of Europe and North America. They are of large 
size, are carnivorous, and inhabit fresh waters. S. vitre- 
wn is the wall-eyed, goggle-eyed, glass-eyed, yellow, or blue 
pike, dory, or jack-salmon, and S. canadense the gray pike 
sand-pike, sauger, or hornflsh. See cut under pike-perch. 
Stoa (sto'a), n. [< Gr. orod, sometimes orota, a 
porch, colonnade.] In Gr. arch., a portico, usu- 
ally a detached portico, often of considerable 
ately. Steele, Grief A-la-Mode, v. 1. 
(6) To mend or unite with a needle and thread : as, to 
stitch up a rent ; to stitch up an artery. 
II. intrans. To sew ; make stitches. 
Stitch ! stitch! stitch! 
In poverty, hunger, and dirt. 
Hood, Song of the Shirt. 
stitchel (stich'el), ii. A kind of hairy wool. 
[Local.] Imp. Diet. 
Stitcher (stich'er), . [< stitch + -er 1 .] One 
who stitches ; also, a tool or machine used in 
stitching. 
All alike are rich and richer, 
King with crown, and cross-legged stitcher, 
When the grave hides all. 
K. W. Gilder, Drinking Song. 
stitchery (stich'er-i), H. [< stitch + -ery.] 
Needlework; in modern times, the labor or 
drudgery of sewing. 
Come, lay aside your stitchery; I must have you play 
the idle huswife with me this afternoon. 
Shak., Cor., i. 3. 75. 
Stitchfallen (stich'fa'ln), a. [< stitch + fallen, 
pp. of fall 1 .] Fallen, as a stitch in knitting. 
[Rare.] 
A stitch-fal'it cheek, that hangs below the jaw. 
Dryden, tr. of Juvenal's Satires, x. 309. 
stitching (stich'ing), n. [Verbal n. of stitch, c.] 
Stitches collectively; especially, ornamental 
stitches designed to show on the surface of 
the workMiddle stitching (naut.). Same as monk's 
seam, 1. 
Stitching-horse (stich'ing-hdrs), n. A harness- 
makers' clamp or work-holder mounted on a 
wooden frame or horse. The jaw of the clamp 
is kept in position by means of a foot-lever, 
bee cut under sewing-clamp. 
stitch-wheel (stich'hwel), n. In harness-mak- 
ing, a small notched wheel mounted in a han- 
dle, used to mark the places for the stitches 
in hand-sewed work ; a pricking-wheel 
stitch-work (stich'werk),. Embroidery. B 
Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 41 5. 
stitchwort (stich' wert), H. [Early mod. E. also 
stichwort; < ME. stichwurt, < AS. sticwyrt,< stice, 
stitch, + wyrt, plant: see stitch and wort 1 1 
One of several plants of the chickweed or star- 
wort genus, Stellaria. The proper stitchwort is S. 
h j?h?' greater stitchwort, locally called allbone 
Wf^fSiStAgSAS^JEffS 
. e S'.n7 K " a . me a . 1 ] udes * its re Pted virtue for the 
stitch in the side, or, according to one old work, to 
its use for curing the sting of venomous reptiles (Prior). 
S. gramine-a is in England the lesser stitchwort In the 
s. stiva, steva = MD. D. stijven = G. steifen 
= Sw. styfaa = Dan. stive), grow stiff, < // or 
stif, stiff : see stiff.'] I. intratis. To become stiff ; 
stiffen. 
II. trans. To stiffen. 
The note sunne hade so hard the hides stiued. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3038. 
stive 2 (stiv), v. t. ; pret. and pp. stived, ppr. stir- 
ing. [< OF. estiver = Sp. Pg. estivar = It. sti~ 
rare, < L. stipare, compress, crowd together. Cf . 
steeveS, stew.] To stuff ; cram; stow; crowd. 
[Obsolete or provincial. ] 
You would think It strange that so small a shell should 
contain such a quantity, but admire, If you saw them ttivc 
it in their ships. Sandys, Travailes, p. 12. 
"Things are a good deal stined up," answered the Dea- 
con. "People's minds are sour, and I don't know Molly 
what we can do. " S. Judd, Margaret, ii. 8. 
8tive 3 t (stiv), v. [< ME. stiven, a var. of stuven, 
stuwen, < OF. estuver, stew, bathe: see stew 1 .] 
I. trans. To stew, as meat. 
II. intrans. To stew, as in a close atmosphere; 
be stifled. [Provincial.] 
Diagram of the construction of a Greek Stoa. as excavated and re- 
stored by the Archaeological Institute of America, at Assos, 1882. 
extent, generally near a public place to afford 
opportunity for walking or conversation un- 
der shelter. The Greek stoa was often richly 
adorned with sculpture and painting. Many 
examples had two stories The Stoa Same as 
the Porch. See porch, Stoic. 
stoat (stot), n. [Also state; a var. of slot 1 .] 
The ermine, Putorius erminea, and other mem- 
Stoat or Knnine (Putoritts erminea 
n summer pelage. 
., One can get rid of a few 
hours every day in that way, instead of sKving in a dam- 
nable hotel. George Eliot, Daniel Deronda, liv. 
Stive 3 t, n. An obsolete form of stew. 
stive 4 (stiv), n. [Also dial, stew; appar. < MD. 
stuyi-e, dust, = G. staub = Dan. stov, dust.] 
Dust ; the dust floating in flour-mills during the 
operation of grinding. Simmonds. 
stiver 1 (sti'ver), . [= Sw. styfver = Dan. sty- 
ver, < MD. stuyver, D. stuicer = G. stuber, a sti- 
ver; origin unknown.] 1. A small coin for- 
merly current in Holland and in the Dutch 
colonies : in Dutch called stuiver. (a) A small sil- 
ver coin formerly current in Holland, the twentieth part 
of the Dutch gulden. 
Set him free, 
And you shall have your money to a stiver, 
And present payment Fletcher, Beggars' Bush, i. 3. 
(6) A copper coin formerly current in the Dutch colonies. 
Stiver British Museum. (Size of the original.) 
bers of that genus when not specified by distinc- 
tive names. See ermine 1 , weasel, mink, fitchew, 
polecat, ferret 1 . Stoat more particularly designates the 
animal in ordinary summer pelage, when it is dull ma- 
hogany-brown above, and pale sulphur-yellow below, witli 
the tail black-tipped as in winter. 
Stob (stob), n. [A var. of stub.] 1. A small 
post. 2. A thorn; spine. Halliwell. S. A 
long steel wedge used for bringing down coal 
after holing. Gresley. [Prov. Eng. in all uses.] 
stoblet, n. A Middle English form of stubble. 
Stocaht (sto'ka), n. [Early mod. E. also sto- 
kagite; < Ir. Gael, stocaeh, an idler in the kit- 
chen.] An attendant; a hanger-on: an old 
Irish term. 
The strength of all that nation is the Kearne, Gallo- 
glasse, Stokaghe, Horsemen, and Horseboyes. 
Spenser, State of Ireland. 
stoccadet(sto-kad'), n. [AlBostockado,stoccado, 
and stoccata, after Sp. or It.; < OF. estoccade, 
estocade = Sp. Pg. estocada, a thrust, pass, < It. 
stoccata, a thrust with a weapon, < "stoccare, < 
stocco, a truncheon, short sword, < G. stock, a 
stick, staff, stock, = MD. stock, a stock-rapier, 
ete.: see stock 1 . Cf. stockade.] 1. A thrust 
with, a sword, one of the movements taught by 
the early fencing-masters, as in the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries. 
Your punto, your reverse, your stoccata, your imbrocata 
your passada, your montanto. 
. B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iv. 5. 
2. See stockade. 
