different between sturdy vs bold

English

Etymology

From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear. A speculative theory is that thrushes eat leftover winery grapes and thus became drunk, but this meets with objections.

Disease in cows and sheep is by extension of sense of “daze”, while sense of “strongly built” is of late 14th century, and relationship to earlier sense is less clear, perhaps from sense of a firm strike (causing a daze) or a strong, violent person.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?st??di/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?st?rdi/
• Rhymes: -??(r)di

Adjective

sturdy (comparative sturdier, superlative sturdiest)

1. Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
   • 1657, Henry Wotton, Characters of some Kings of England

     He was not of any delicate contexture; his limbs rather sturdy then dainty.

2. Solid in structure or person.

3. (obsolete) Foolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn.

   • This must be done, and I would fain see / Mortal so sturdy as to gainsay.

   • October 28, 1705, Francis Atterbury, a sermon

     A sturdy, hardened sinner shall advance to the utmost pitch of impiety with less reluctance than he took the first steps.

4. Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.

Synonyms

• hardy

Translations

Noun

sturdy (uncountable)

1. A disease in sheep and cattle, caused by a tapeworm and marked by great nervousness or by dullness and stupor.

Synonyms

• gid

Derived terms

• sturdied

Translations

References

• sturdy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b??ld/, [b??ld]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bo?ld/
• Rhymes: -??ld
• Homophone: bowled

Etymology 1

From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budl?, *buþl? (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?ew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *b?uH-.

Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German b?del (“property, real estate”). Related to build.

Alternative forms

• bolde, boolde (both obsolete)

Noun

bold (plural bolds)

1. (obsolete) A dwelling; habitation; building.

Related terms

• bottle
• build

Etymology 2

From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?el-, *b?l?- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”).

Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). For semantic development compare Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).

Adjective

bold (comparative bolder, superlative boldest)

1. Courageous, daring.
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 239c.

     It would be extraordinarily bold of me to give it a try after seeing what has happened to you.

2. Visually striking; conspicuous.

   the painter's bold use of colour and outline

3. (typography, of typefaces) Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

4. Presumptuous, forward or impudent.

   • […] even the bolde?t and mo?t affirmative Philo?ophy, which has ever attempted to impo?e its crude Dictates and Principles on Mankind.

5. (Ireland) Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

   All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.

6. Full-bodied.
7. (Philippines) Pornographic; depicting nudity.
8. Steep or abrupt.

Synonyms

• (courageous): audacious, brave, courageous, daring, forward, doughty
• See also Thesaurus:brave

Related terms

• bield
• bolden
• boldness
• embolden

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþ?n?, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbald?n (“to become bold, dare”).

Verb

bold (third-person singular simple present bolds, present participle bolding, simple past and past participle bolded)

1. (transitive) To make (a font or some text) bold.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To make bold or daring.

   • […] for this bu?ines,

     It touches vs, as France inuades our land

     Not bolds the King, with others whome I feare,

     Mo?t iu?t and heauy cau?es make oppo?e.

3. (intransitive, obsolete) To become bold.

Anagrams

• BLOD

Cebuano

Etymology

From English bold, from 1940s-1970s bold films (exploitation film).

Adjective

bold

1. naked, nude
2. pornographic

Danish

Alternative forms

• boldt (archaic)

Etymology

From Old Norse b?llr

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b??l?d?]
• Rhymes: -?ld

Noun

bold c (singular definite bolden, plural indefinite bolde)

1. ball

Declension

Derived terms

• fodbold
• tennisbold

Further reading

• “bold” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “bold” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Old English

Etymology

Probably representing an earlier *bodl, *boþl, from Proto-West Germanic *b?þl, from Proto-Germanic *b?þl?, from an instrumental form of *b?an? (“to dwell”). Compare Old Norse ból. More at suffix -eld.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bold/, [bo?d]

Noun

bold n

1. house, dwelling, building

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: bold
  • English: bold

Romanian

Etymology

From a Common Slavic root *bodli.

Noun

bold n (plural bolduri)

1. pin

Derived terms

• îmboldi

See also

• ac