overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

stout.

Large; bulky.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/staʊt//stʌʊt/Canada
  1. Large; bulky.

  2. Bold, strong-minded.

    obsolete
  3. Proud; haughty.

    obsolete
  4. Firm; resolute; dauntless.

  5. Materially strong, enduring.

    Campers prefer stout vessels, sticks and cloth.
  6. Obstinate.

  7. drunk.

    Ireland
Where this word comes from

From Middle English stoute, from Old French estout (“brave, fierce, proud”) (Modern French dialectal stout (“proud”)), from earlier Old French estolt (“strong”), from Frankish *stolt, *stult (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Germanic *stultaz (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to put, stand”). Cognate with Dutch stout (“stout, bold, naughty”), Low German stolt (“stately, proud”), German stolz (“proud, haughty, arrogant, stately”), Old Norse stoltr (“proud”) (Danish stolt (“proud”), Icelandic stoltur (“proud”)). Meaning "strong in body, powerfully built" was first attested in c. 1386, but has been to a large extent displaced by the euphemistic meaning "thick-bodied, fat and large," which is first recorded 1804. Original sense preserved in stout-hearted (1552). The noun "strong, dark-brown beer" is first recorded 1677, from the adjective.

noun/staʊt//stʌʊt/Canada
  1. A dark and strong malt brew made with toasted grain.

    Stout is darker, stronger and sweeter than porter beer.
  2. A serving of this beer.

  3. An obese person.

  4. A large clothing size.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English stoute, from Old French estout (“brave, fierce, proud”) (Modern French dialectal stout (“proud”)), from earlier Old French estolt (“strong”), from Frankish *stolt, *stult (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Germanic *stultaz (“bold, proud”), from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to put, stand”). Cognate with Dutch stout (“stout, bold, naughty”), Low German stolt (“stately, proud”), German stolz (“proud, haughty, arrogant, stately”), Old Norse stoltr (“proud”) (Danish stolt (“proud”), Icelandic stoltur (“proud”)). Meaning "strong in body, powerfully built" was first attested in c. 1386, but has been to a large extent displaced by the euphemistic meaning "thick-bodied, fat and large," which is first recorded 1804. Original sense preserved in stout-hearted (1552). The noun "strong, dark-brown beer" is first recorded 1677, from the adjective.

verb/staʊt//stʌʊt/Canada
  1. To be bold or defiant.

    archaic · intransitive
  2. To persist, endure.

    dialectal · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English stouten, from the adjective (see above).

noun/staʊt//stʌʊt/Canada
  1. Gnat.

  2. Gadfly.

  3. Firefly or miller (moth).

    dialectal
Where this word comes from

From Middle English stout, from Old English stūt (“gnat; midge”).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

stout has 5 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

stout studiostout workshello, stout

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.