stick

Definition

An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.

Etymology

From Middle English stikke (“stick, rod, twig”), from Old English sticca (“rod, twig”), from Proto-West Germanic *stikkō, from Proto-Germanic *stikkô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stikke (“stick”), West Flemish stik (“stick”), German Low German Stick (“stick”). Related to stigma.

Example Sentences

• "The beaver's dam was made out of sticks."
• "Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame."
• "I found several good sticks in the brush heap."

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