Main Entry:

¹stick

Pronunciation:

\ˈstik\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English stik, from Old English sticca; akin to Old Norse stik stick, Old English stician to stick

Date:

before 12th century

1: a woody piece or part of a tree or shrub: as a: a usually dry or dead severed shoot, twig, or slender branch b: a cut or broken branch or piece of wood gathered for fuel or construction material 2 a: a long slender piece of wood or metal: as (1): a club or staff used as a weapon (2): walking stick b: an implement used for striking or propelling an object in a game c: something used to force compliance d: a baton symbolizing an office or dignity ; also : a person entitled to bear such a baton3: a piece of the materials composing something (as a building)4: any of various implements resembling a stick in shape, origin, or use: as a: composing stick b: an airplane lever operating the elevators and ailerons c: the gearshift lever of an automobile 5: something prepared (as by cutting, molding, or rolling) in a relatively long and slender often cylindrical form <a stick of candy> <a stick of butter>6 a: person, chap b: a dull, inert, stiff, or spiritless person7plural : remote usually rural districts regarded especially as backward, dull, or unsophisticated : boondocks8: an herbaceous stalk resembling a woody stick <celery sticks>9: ¹mast 1 ; also : ¹yard 410: a piece of furniture11 a: a number of bombs arranged for release from a bombing plane in a series across a target b: a number of parachutists dropping together12slang : a marijuana cigarette13 a: punishment or the threat of punishment used to force compliance or cooperation <choosing between the carrot and the stick> bBritish : criticism, abuse

— stick·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

[stick illustration]