Stiff neck

Stiff neck
Stiff Stiff, a. [Compar. {Stiffer}; superl. {Stiffest}.] [OE. stif, AS. st[=i]f; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. st[=i]fr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. {Costive}, {Stifle}, {Stipulate}, {Stive} to stuff.] 1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints. [1913 Webster]

[They] rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid a["e]rial sky. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff. [1913 Webster]

3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze. [1913 Webster]

4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary. [1913 Webster]

It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause, Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style. [1913 Webster]

The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] ``This is stiff news.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

7. (Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to {crank}. --Totten. [1913 Webster]

8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price. [Slang] [1913 Webster]

{Stiff neck}, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Stiff neck — Neck Neck (n[e^]k), n. [OE. necke, AS. hnecca; akin to D. nek the nape of the neck, G. nacken, OHG. nacch, hnacch, Icel. hnakki, Sw. nacke, Dan. nakke.] 1. The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stiff neck — noun 1. a. : fibrositis of the neck muscles b. : torticollis 2. a. : a proud or stubborn person : one with a haughty bearing b …   Useful english dictionary

  • Stiff neck — HWS Schiene, offen und geschlossen Eine Cervicalstütze oder Zervikalstütze (von lat. cervix, der Hals) ist ein zirkulärer Halsverband zur Entlastung der Halsstrukturen. HWS Schiene …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • stiff´-neck´ed|ness — stiff necked «STIHF NEHKT», adjective. 1. having a stiff neck. 2. Figurative. stubborn; obstinate: »The stiff necked old aristocrat... (George Gissing). SYNONYM(S): mulish, intractable, refractory. –stiff´ neck´ed|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • stiff neck — stubborn; obstinate …   English contemporary dictionary

  • stiff neck —    Ā īkū, ā ī o ole a, ā ī uaua, uakaha, uauakaha …   English-Hawaiian dictionary

  • Stiff — Stiff, a. [Compar. {Stiffer}; superl. {Stiffest}.] [OE. stif, AS. st[=i]f; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. st[=i]fr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. {Costive} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neck — (n[e^]k), n. [OE. necke, AS. hnecca; akin to D. nek the nape of the neck, G. nacken, OHG. nacch, hnacch, Icel. hnakki, Sw. nacke, Dan. nakke.] 1. The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many other… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neck and crop — Neck Neck (n[e^]k), n. [OE. necke, AS. hnecca; akin to D. nek the nape of the neck, G. nacken, OHG. nacch, hnacch, Icel. hnakki, Sw. nacke, Dan. nakke.] 1. The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neck and neck — Neck Neck (n[e^]k), n. [OE. necke, AS. hnecca; akin to D. nek the nape of the neck, G. nacken, OHG. nacch, hnacch, Icel. hnakki, Sw. nacke, Dan. nakke.] 1. The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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