styen

English

Etymology

From Northern Middle English stan, stane, from Old English stān, from Proto-Germanic *stainaz. Cognate with German Stein, Swedish sten, Dutch steen.

Noun

styen (uncountable)

1. (Northumbria) stone
   • 1827, T. Thompson, quoting "A Pitman", “Shields Chain Bridge”, in A Collection of Songs, Comic, Satirical, and Descriptive, Chiefly in the Newcastle Dialect: And Illustrative of the Language and Manners of the Common People on the Banks of the Tyne and Neighbourhood, page 109:

     Huge abutments o' styen, aw think they are call'd

   • 1827, T. Thompson, “Wreckenton Hiring”, in A Collection of Songs, Comic, Satirical, and Descriptive, Chiefly in the Newcastle Dialect: And Illustrative of the Language and Manners of the Common People on the Banks of the Tyne and Neighbourhood, page 200:

     Ye wad thought his feet was myed o' styen, He gaw sic thuds wi' dancin-o

   • 1876, James Armstrong, "Wanny Blossoms": A Book of Song : with a Brief Treatise on Fishing, Fly, Worm, and Roe, page 48:

     Te kill a fish, or owt else, thoo
     Must hev a heart o' styen, man

   • 1891, The Monthly Chronicle of North Country Lore and Legend, page 209:

     He's warked as debbity an' been night lost—
     Haaf barried under sum greet faall o' styen

Anagrams

• tynes, seynt, yesn't, nesty

Middle English

Verb

styen

1. Alternative form of stien