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stamina
1[ stam-uh-nuh ]
noun
- strength of physical constitution; power to endure disease, fatigue, privation, etc.
stamina
2[ stam-uh-nuh ]
noun
- a plural of stamen.
stamina
1/ ˈstæmɪnə /
noun
- enduring energy, strength, and resilience
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Derived Forms
- ˈstaminal, adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of stamina1
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Example Sentences
It’s just a matter of losing timing, conditioning and stamina.
“It’s all going to come down to the stamina to go through a training camp and then exhibition games,” Brooks said of Wall in a virtual news conference Tuesday.
People get fatigued, whereas a computer has endless stamina, whether it’s reviewing 100 or 1,000 articles.
Get an early start, then test out your stamina and navigation skills on this eight-mile off-trail trek that takes most hikers six hours to complete.
I think there was always a desire to play him wide or even at wingback due to his defensive solidity and stamina, but he seems to have adapted to playing upfront without any difficulty at all.
War,” wrote Clausewitz, “is an extreme trial of strength and stamina.
He says he believes it was good professional stamina that saved his life.
Even as we cheer for her stamina, we shrink from her rapacity.
He weighed only 185 pounds, but he had killer instincts and rabbit quickness and the stamina of a mule.
The amount of strength, flexibility, stamina, everything it takes to be a gymnast is insane.
Poor Mrs. Morton was a flimsy woman, without much stamina, mental or bodily.
Every man of them was marked for courage and stamina and wild daring.
Every one would become so corrupt and depraved sexually that the race would become weak and puny, with no moral stamina.
There are only two known species, and they vary in the number of their Stamina, and divisions of the Corolla.
But if Emetic could not spread-eagle the field, she could set a pace that would try the stamina and lungs of Pegasus.
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Related Words
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More About Stamina
What does stamina mean?
Stamina is endurance—the strength or energy to keep going, even when tired or facing other unfavorable conditions.
The word is most commonly used in the context of sports to refer to the ability to continue performing despite fatigue. Athletes train to improve their stamina.
Stamina is also the plural form of the word stamen, which is the part of a flower that produces pollen. Interestingly, both senses of the word are based on the same Latin root.
Example: A lot of players are fast and strong, but it’s the ones who have worked to increase their stamina who are most effective at the end of a long game.
Where does stamina come from?
The first records of the word stamina in English come from the 1500s. It comes from the plural of the Latin word stāmen, meaning “thread” or “filament,” which is where we get the name of the flower part. But the plural had a figurative meaning—it referred to the “life threads” spun by the Fates—the three goddesses of destiny in Greek and Roman mythology. When destiny is depicted as a fabric made up of everyone’s lives woven together, the length of each thread can be thought of as representing the length of one’s life. So, someone with a long thread must have the ability to endure. The word stamina came to be associated with this endurance.
Someone with a lot of stamina has the strength and energy to endure things that are physically or emotionally taxing. The word is sometimes used in the phrases physical stamina and mental stamina. It is often associated with professional athletes, who try to increase their stamina to be more competitive. It’s especially associated with athletes whose sport requires them to keep going for long periods without resting, such as long distance runners, cyclists, and soccer (football) players.
Other professions require stamina, too. Doctors and nurses who work long shifts doing work that is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining require stamina on all of those levels. Some of their patients need the same kind of stamina to endure an illness that may last months or even years.
Did you know ... ?
What are some synonyms for stamina?
What are some words that share a root or word element with stamina?
What are some words that often get used in discussing stamina?
How is stamina used in real life?
Stamina is perhaps most often used to refer to physical endurance, but it can also refer to mental and emotional stamina—or even a combination of all three.
This quick circuit #training #workout is designed to build muscular #strength and #endurance as well as improve #stamina. These exercises work the full body with a combination of resistance training exercises and high-intensity interval training exercises (HIIT). @huntsmancancer
— Mara Carrasco (@MaraCarrasc) April 15, 2020
Is anyone else struggling with parenting their kids and writing their book? I don't seem to have enough mental stamina for both. 🤯 #WritingCommunity
— Marquess (@SlushPileDynamo) April 20, 2020
People seriously don't understand the stamina it takes to be a performer
— malia monk (@maliamonkeyy) June 9, 2014
Try using stamina!
Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used in relation to stamina?
A. energy
B. quit
C. strength
D. endurance
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