still

英文词源

still

still: The adjective still ‘not moving’ [OE] comes from a prehistoric West Germanic *stillja or *stellja, which also produced German still and Dutch stil. It was derived from the base *stel- ‘fixed, not moving, standing’ (a variant of which lies behind English stalemate and stall). It was used as an adverb in the Old English period, denoting ‘not changing physical position’, and this gradually evolved metaphorically via ‘never changing or stopping, always’ to (in the 16th century) ‘until now’.

The noun still ‘distilling apparatus’ [16] is of course a different word. It comes from the now defunct verb still ‘distil’. This was short for distil [14], which came from Latin distillāre, a derivative ultimately of the noun stilla ‘drop’ (source also of English instil [16]).
=> stalemate, stall; distil, instil

still (adj.)

Old English stille "motionless, stable, fixed, stationary," from Proto-Germanic *stilli- (cognates: Old Frisian, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch stille, Dutch stil, Old High German stilli, German still), from PIE root *stel- "to put, stand," with derivatives referring to a standing object or place (see stall (n.1)). Meaning "quiet, calm, gentle, silent" emerged in later Old English. Euphemistic for "dead" in stillborn, etc. Still small voice is from KJV:

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. [1 Kings 19:11-13]

Used as a conjunction from 1722.

still (n.1)

"distilling apparatus," 1530s, from Middle English stillen "to distill" (c. 1300), a variant of distillen (see distill).

still (v.)

Old English stillan "to be still, have rest; to quiet, calm, appease; to stop, restrain," from stille "at rest" (see still (adj.)). Cognate with Old Saxon stillian, Old Norse stilla, Dutch, Old High German, German stillen. Related: Stilled; stilling.

still (n.2)

c. 1200, "a calm," from still (adj.). Sense of "quietness, the silent part" is from c. 1600 (in still of the night). Meaning "a photograph" (as distinguished from a motion picture) is attested from 1916.

still (adv.)

"even now, even then, yet" (as in still standing there), 1530s, from still (adj.) in the sense "without change or cessation, continual" (c. 1300); the sense of "even, yet" (as in still more) is from 1730.