stive

1 of 3

verb

ˈstīv

-ed/-ing/-s

transitive verb

: to pack tightly : crowd

: to shut up in a warm close place : stifle, suffocate

intransitive verb

: suffocate

stive

2 of 3

noun

plural -s

: dust

especially : the floating dust in flour mills caused by grinding

stive

3 of 3

chiefly Scottish variant of steeve:1

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stiven, probably from Spanish estibar or Portuguese estivar to pack tightly

Noun

obsolete Dutch stuive, from Middle Dutch stuve, stuyve pulverization; akin to Middle Dutch stuven, stieven to raise dust, Middle Low German stūven to raise dust, stübbe dust, Old High German stoub dust, stioban to raise dust, stuppi dust, Gothic stubjus