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definitions

sturdy

1
[stur-dee]
|
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adjective, stur·di·er, stur·di·est.

strongly built; stalwart; robust: sturdy young athletes.
strong, as in substance, construction, or texture: sturdy walls.
firm; courageous; indomitable: the sturdy defenders of the Alamo.
of strong or hardy growth, as a plant.

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RELATED WORDS

bulky, hulking, strapping, rugged, stiff, powerful, muscular, hearty, stout, robust, strong, athletic, determined, firm, flourishing, hardy, hefty, husky, lusty, resolute

Nearby words

  1. stupid,
  2. stupidity,
  3. stupidly,
  4. stupor,
  5. sturbridge,
  6. sturge-weber syndrome,
  7. sturgeon,
  8. sturges,
  9. sturges, preston,
  10. sturgis

Origin of sturdy

1
1250–1300; Middle English stourdi < Old French estourdi dazed, stunned, violent, reckless (past participle of estourdir < ?)
ANTONYMS FOR sturdy
1. weak.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR sturdy ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsstur·di·ly, adverbstur·di·ness, nounun·stur·di·ly, adverbun·stur·di·ness, noun

sturdy

2
[stur-dee]

noun Veterinary Pathology.

gid.

Origin of sturdy

2
1560–70; noun use of sturdy1 in obsolete sense “giddy”
Related formsstur·died, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for sturdy

sturdy

1

adjective -dier or -diest

healthy, strong, and vigorous
strongly built; stalwart
Derived Formssturdily, adverbsturdiness, noun

Word Origin for sturdy

C13 (in the sense: rash, harsh): from Old French estordi dazed, from estordir to stun, perhaps ultimately related to Latin turdus a thrush (taken as representing drunkenness)

noun

vet science another name for staggers, gid
Derived Formssturdied, adjective

Word Origin for sturdy

C17: from sturdy 1 (in the obsolete sense: giddy)
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 sturdy

sturdy

adj.

c.1300, "hard to manage, reckless, violent," from Old French estourdi "violent," originally "dazed," past participle of estourdir "to daze," from Vulgar Latin *exturdire, which is presumed to be from Latin intensive prefix ex + turdus "thrush." Perhaps the notion is of thrushes eating leftover grapes at wineries and acting drunk (Italian tordo "thrush" also means "simpleton," and French has the expression soûl comme une grive "drunk as a thrush"). OED, however, regards all this as "open to grave objection." Sense of "solidly built, strong and hardy" first recorded late 14c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper