*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of stew

From Middle English stewe, stue, from Anglo-Norman estouve, Old French estuve (“bath, bathhouse”) (modern French étuve), from Medieval Latin stupha, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *extufāre, from ex- + An

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron. · A heated bath-room or steam-room; also, a hot bath. · A brothel. · A prostitute.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English stewe, stue, from Anglo-Norman estouve, Old French estuve (“bath, bathhouse”) (modern French étuve), from Medieval Latin stupha, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *extufāre, from ex- + Ancient Greek τῦφος (tûphos, “smoke, steam”), from τύφω (túphō, “to smoke”). See also Italian stufare, Portuguese estufar. Compare also Old English stuf-bæþ (“a hot-air bath, vapour bath”); see stove.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionsteweenm
  • Derivation mentionestuvefro · bath, bathhouse
  • Cognate mentionétuvefr
  • Derivation mentionτῦφοςgrc
  • Cognate mentionstufbæþang · a hot-air bath, vapour bath

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "stewe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English stewe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "estouve"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman estouve"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "estuve",
        "t": "bath, bathhouse"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "la-med",
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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-vul",
        "3": "*extufāre"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin *extufāre"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "grc",
        "3": "τῦφος",
        "4": "",
        "5": "smoke, steam"
      },
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    },
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stewe",
      "stewe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "stue",
      "stue#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "estouve",
      "estouve#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "estuve",
      "estuve#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "étuve",
      "étuve#French"
    ],
    [
      "stupha",
      "stupha#Latin"
    ],
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      "*extufāre",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/extufare"
    ],
    [
      "ex-",
      "ex-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "τῦφος",
      "τῦφος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "τύφω",
      "τύφω#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "stufare",
      "stufare#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "estufar",
      "estufar#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "stuf-bæþ",
      "stufbæþ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "stove",
      "stove#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "lang": "Japanese",
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        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
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      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "シチュー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "shichū"
    }
  ],
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        "A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.",
        "A heated bath-room or steam-room; also, a hot bath.",
        "A brothel.",
        "A prostitute."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering. · To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong. · To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions. · To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English stewen, stuwen, from the noun above; and also from Middle English stiven, styven (“to bathe, cook, stew”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionstewenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionstivenenm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "stewen"
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    },
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        "3": "stiven"
      },
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    }
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      "stiven#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "styven#Middle_English"
    ]
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  "lexical": [
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        "To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering.",
        "To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong.",
        "To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions.",
        "To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A cloud of fine particles or droplets; dust, smoke, vapor, mist, or sea-spray.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably related to Middle Dutch stuven (“be dusty”) and English stive. Perhaps the same word as stew (“steam-room; dish cooked by stewing”) above.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "dum",
        "2": "stuven",
        "3": "",
        "4": "be dusty"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch stuven (“be dusty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "stive"
      },
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    }
  ],
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      "stuven#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
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    ],
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    ]
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A steward or stewardess on an airplane or boat.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of steward or stewardess.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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    ],
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      "stewardess#English"
    ]
  ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for stew →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c3Rldw