English
stolid
Stolid comes from Latin stolidus ‘foolish, obtuse, slow’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to set, be stiff’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stel-1‘to set, be stiff’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstolidus2‘foolish, obtuse, slow’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600stolide2
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1887stolid2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin stolidus
- 2 Wiktionary, English stolid
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1887, Emily Dickinson, [Book IV.—Time and Eternity] Safe in Their Alabaster Chamber: “Light laughs the breeze / In her Castle above…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stel-Wiktionary, Latin stolidus‘to set, be stiff’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstolidusWiktionary, English stolid‘foolish, obtuse, slow’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600stolideWiktionary, English stolid
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1887stolidWiktionary, English stolid. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1887, Emily Dickinson, [Book IV.—Time and Eternity] Safe in Their Alabaster Chamber: “Light laughs the breeze / In her Castle above…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to set, be stiff’
local, allow, location, locate, install, stall, stole, apostle, loco, stalk, locus, stale, lieu, locator, stool, epistle, locative, stele, stela, stell, apostolate, 30 more
Today it means
adj Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “stolid”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin stolidus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *stel- / stolid