A large, strong rope, employed to support a mast, by being extended from the head of one mast down to some other, or to some part of the vessel. Those which lead forward are called fore-and-aft stays; those which lead to the vessel’s side are called backstays. See Illust. of Ship.
That which serves as a prop; a support.
A corset stiffened with whalebone or other material, worn by women, and rarely by men.
Continuance in a place; abode for a space of time; sojourn; as, you make a short stay in this city.
Cessation of motion or progression; stand; stop.
Hindrance; let; check.
Restraint of passion; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
Strictly, a part in tension to hold the parts together, or stiffen them.
To stop from motion or falling; to prop; to fix firmly; to hold up; to support.
To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
To bear up under; to endure; to support; to resist successfully.
To hold from proceeding; to withhold; to restrain; to stop; to hold.
To hinder; to delay; to detain; to keep back.
To remain for the purpose of; to wait for.
To cause to cease; to put an end to.
To fasten or secure with stays; as, to stay a flat sheet in a steam boiler.
To tack, as a vessel, so that the other side of the vessel shall be presented to the wind.
To remain; to continue in a place; to abide fixed for a space of time; to stop; to stand still.
To continue in a state.
To wait; to attend; to forbear to act.
To dwell; to tarry; to linger.
To rest; to depend; to rely; to stand; to insist.
To come to an end; to cease; as, that day the storm stayed.
To hold out in a race or other contest; as, a horse stays well.
To change tack, as a ship.
To care; to desire.
To hold; to restrain from departure or removal; not to let go of; to retain in one’s power or possession; not to lose; to retain; to detain.
To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor.
To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of.
To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard.
To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret.
To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend.
To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, etc.; also, to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.
To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage; as, to keep store.
To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain; as, to keep boarders.
To have in one’s service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc.
To have habitually in stock for sale.
To continue in, as a course or mode of action; not to intermit or fall from; to hold to; to maintain; as, to keep silence; to keep one’s word; to keep possession.
To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate; to practice or perform, as duty; not to neglect; to be faithful to.
To confine one’s self to; not to quit; to remain in; as, to keep one’s house, room, bed, etc.; hence, to haunt; to frequent.
To observe duly, as a festival, etc.; to celebrate; to solemnize; as, to keep a feast.
To remain in any position or state; to continue; to abide; to stay; as, to keep at a distance; to keep aloft; to keep near; to keep in the house; to keep before or behind; to keep in favor; to keep out of company, or out reach.
To last; to endure; to remain unimpaired.
To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell.
To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
To be in session; as, school keeps to-day.
The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge.
The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case; as, to be in good keep.
The means or provisions by which one is kept; maintenance; support; as, the keep of a horse.
That which keeps or protects; a stronghold; a fortress; a castle; specifically, the strongest and securest part of a castle, often used as a place of residence by the lord of the castle, especially during a siege; the dungeon. See Illust. of Castle.
That which is kept in charge; a charge.
A cap for retaining anything, as a journal box, in place.
