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stalwart

stal·wart

UK/ˈstɔːl.wət/ US/ˈstɒl-/ rare
noun (1) adjective (3)

noun

1.

a person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt)

Synonyms

adjective

1.

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

  • “hardy explorers of northern Canada”
  • “proud of her tall stalwart son”
  • “stout seamen”
  • “sturdy young athletes”
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2.

dependable

  • “the stalwart citizens at Lexington”
  • “a stalwart supporter of the UN”
  • “stout hearts”
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3.

used especially of persons

  • “a stalwart knight”
  • “a stouthearted fellow who had an active career in the army”
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Origin

Borrowed from Scots stalwart under the influence of Walter Scott, displacing earlier stalworth, wherewith it forms a doublet. From Middle English stal-worth (“physically strong, hardy, robust; brave, courageous”), from Old English stǣlwierþe (“able to stand in good stead, serviceable”), probably from staþol (“establishment; foundation”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)) or stǣl (“place; condition, stead”) + -wierþe (“able to, capable of”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to rotate, turn”)).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.