stout
[stout]
- bulky in figure; heavily built; corpulent; thickset; fat: She is getting too stout for her dresses.
- bold, brave, or dauntless: a stout heart; stout fellows.
- firm; stubborn; resolute: stout resistance.
- forceful; vigorous: a stout argument; a stout wind.
- strong of body; hearty; sturdy: stout seamen.
- having endurance or staying power, as a horse.
- strong in substance or body, as a beverage.
- strong and thick or heavy: a stout cudgel.
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- a dark, sweet brew made of roasted malt and having a higher percentage of hops than porter.
- porter of extra strength.
- a stout person.
- a garment size designed for a stout man.
- a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size.
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Origin of stout
1250–1300; Middle English (adj.) < Old French estout bold, proud < Germanic; compare Middle Dutch stout bold, Middle Low German stolt, Middle High German stolz proud
Synonym study
Stout, fat, plump imply corpulence of body. Stout describes a heavily built but usually strong and healthy body: a handsome stout lady. Fat, an informal word with unpleasant connotations, suggests an unbecoming fleshy stoutness; it may, however, apply also to a hearty fun-loving type of stout person: a fat old man; fat and jolly. Plump connotes a pleasing roundness and is often used as a complimentary or euphemistic equivalent for stout, fleshy, etc.: a pleasingly plump figure attractively dressed.
Stout
[stout]
- Rex (Tod·hun·ter) [tod-huhn-ter] /ˈtɒdˌhʌn tər/, 1886–1975, U.S. detective novelist.
- Robert,1844–1930, New Zealand jurist and statesman: prime minister 1884–87.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for stout
Contemporary Examples
Princess Ariel and Prince Eric walk down the aisle, and are greeted by a stout clergyman who is allegedly too happy to see them.
From the few photographs of him, we see a stout man with deep Indian features, a thick mustache and stoic face.
A stout woman with a grating voice, she asked, “So you think life is so good here in Ukraine?”
“Or the world,” Stout said, examining the photographs in a small metal box.
Two bottles of stout supplied the necessary lubrication, and there was frequent recourse to a box of licorice pastilles.
Historical Examples
Among the passengers was a stout, good-looking man, a New York merchant.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
Bates was a stout sailor, rough in appearance, but with a warm and kindly heart.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
Where she had been stout thirteen years before, she was now frankly fat.
DustMr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
All the enemy's vessels had regular quarters, and the ships were stout craft.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
As this was a stout rope, something must part, before we could be washed away.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
stout
- solidly built or corpulent
- (prenominal) resolute or valiantstout fellow
- strong, substantial, and robust
- a stout heart courage; resolution
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- strong porter highly flavoured with malt
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French estout bold, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German stolz proud, Middle Dutch stolt brave
Stout
- Sir Robert. 1844–1930, New Zealand statesman, born in Scotland: prime minister of New Zealand (1884–87)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for stout
adj.
c.1300, "proud, valiant, strong," from Old French estout "brave, fierce, proud," earlier estolt "strong," from West Germanic *stult- "proud, stately" (cf. Middle Low German stolt "stately, proud," German stolz "proud, haughty, arrogant, stately"), from PIE root *stel- "to put, stand" (see stall (n.1)). Meaning "strong in body, powerfully built" is attested from late 14c., but has been displaced by the (often euphemistic) meaning "thick-bodied, fat and large," which is first recorded 1804. Original sense preserved in stout-hearted (1550s).
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n.
"strong, dark-brown beer," 1670s, from stout (adj.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper