Definition of stew
1 obsolete : a utensil used for boiling
2 : a hot bath
3a : whorehouseb : a district of bordellos —usually used in plural
4a : fish or meat usually with vegetables prepared by stewingb (1) : a heterogeneous mixture (2) : a state of heat and congestion
5 : a state of excitement, worry, or confusion
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Origin and Etymology of stew
Middle English stewe heated room for a steam bath, from Anglo-French estuve, from Vulgar Latin *extufa — more at stove
First Known Use: 13th century
stew
Definition of stew
transitive verb
: to boil slowly or with simmering heat
intransitive verb
1 : to become cooked by stewing
2 : to swelter especially from confinement in a hot or stuffy atmosphere
3 : to be in a state of suppressed agitation, worry, or resentment
Examples of stew in a Sentence
The meat still needs to stew.
a can of stewed tomatoes
She's been stewing over what he said for days.
14th Century
First Known Use of stew
14th century
Origin and Etymology of stew
short for stewardess
First Known Use: 1970
STEW Defined for English Language Learners
stew
Definition of stew for English Language Learners
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: to cook (something) slowly in hot liquid
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: to be upset or worried
STEW Defined for Kids
Definition of stew for Students
1 : a dish of usually meat with vegetables prepared by slow boiling
2 : a state of excitement, worry, or confusion He got in a stew over nothing.
Learn More about stew
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See words that rhyme with stew Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stew Spanish Central: Translation of stew Nglish: Translation of stew for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stew for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stew
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