Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A vertical member of a panel or frame, as in a door or window sash.
  • noun A set or series of steps for crossing a fence or wall.
  • noun A turnstile.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A series of steps, or a frame of bars and steps, for ascending and descending in getting over a fence or wall.
  • noun In carpentry, a vertical part of a piece of framing, into which the ends of the rails are fixed by mortises and tenons. See cut of panel-door, under door.
  • noun A former spelling of style.
  • noun A former and more correct spelling of style.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A pin set on the face of a dial, to cast a shadow; a style. See style.
  • noun obsolete Mode of composition. See Style.
  • noun A step, or set of steps, for ascending and descending, in passing a fence or wall.
  • noun (Arch.) One of the upright pieces in a frame; one of the primary members of a frame, into which the secondary members are mortised.
  • noun See under Hanging, and Pulley.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A set of steps surmounting a fence or wall, or a narrow gate or contrived passage through a fence or wall, which in either case allows people but not livestock to pass.
  • noun A vertical component of a panel or frame, such as that of a door or window.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an upright that is a member in a door or window frame

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably from Dutch stijl, doorpost, from Middle Dutch, possibly from Latin stilus, pole, post.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English stigel; see steigh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old English stiġel

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Examples

  • Cornelia the mother of the Gracchi, contributed much to the eloquence of her sons; and her learned stile is handed down to posterity in her letters.

    Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799

  • Cornelia the mother of the Gracchi, contributed much to the eloquence of her sons; and her learned stile is handed down to posterity in her letters.

    Letter to the Women of England, on the Injustice of Mental Subordination 1799

  • 'The King has been pleased to grant the dignity of a Baron of the kingdom of Great Britain to Sir Barnard Bray, Baronet; by the name stile and title of Baron Bray, of Bray hall in the county of Somerset; and to the heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten.'

    The Adventures of Hugh Trevor Thomas Holcroft 1777

  • The exercise and the occupation of finding the stile were a stimulus to her, however, and lightened the horror of the darkness and solitude.

    Adam Bede 2004

  • Seated on the inner side of the stile is the young maiden.

    Home Pastimes; or Tableaux Vivants James H. Head

  • Twain delighted to have "Squire Hawkins" sit upon "the pyramid of large blocks called the stile, in front of his home, contemplating the morning."

    Sergeant York And His People

  • Gwen essayed to follow with equal skill, but the stile was a very steep and awkward one, and she needed both hands to hold the drake.

    The Youngest Girl in the Fifth A School Story Angela Brazil 1907

  • And on the worn oak of the stile was a round label, and on the label these words, "Swindells 'G 90 Pills."

    In the Days of the Comet 1906

  • I found them best when cooked in Indian stile, which is by rosting a number of them together on a wooden spit without any previous preparation whatever. they are so fat that they require no aditional sauce, and I think them superior to any fish I ever tasted, even more delicate and lussious than the white fish of the Lakes which have heretofore formed my standard of excellence among the fishes.

    Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 1904

  • I find them best when cooked in Indian stile, which is by roasting a number of them together on a wooden spit without any previous preperation whatever. they are so fat they require no additional sauce, and I think them superior to any fish I ever tasted, even more delicate and lussious than the white fish of the lakes which have heretofore formed my standart of excellence among the fishes.

    Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 1904

Comments

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  • A sort of ladder over a fence or other obstacle to allow passage by humans. A turnstile is a stile that turns rather than passing over the obstacle.

    July 12, 2007

  • Funny, I was about to add this word to my list this morning, and then I decided on turnstile instead. Then again, I *could* add both.... :-)

    July 12, 2007

  • Of course you could! I had added stile earlier. When you added turnstile, I was prompted to think about the relationship between the two words.

    July 12, 2007

  • Yes, but you're not up to...what is it, eleventy-gazillion words I have listed now? I'll stuffocate! ;-)

    July 12, 2007

  • Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:

    1. A former spelling of style.

    Pointedly clears throat. Scans room over bifocals.

    2. A former and more correct spelling of style.

    (Thanks for the find, ruzuzu.)

    September 22, 2011

  • It's standard Italian for style.

    September 22, 2011

  • Italians are standard and more correct humans.

    (*chortles*)

    September 22, 2011

  • Thanks! I'm fond of your list, Dan337.

    September 22, 2011