rocky

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   full of hardship or trials

   the rocky road to success

2. 2
   adj

   abounding in rocks or stones

   rocky fields

3. 3
   adj

   liable to rock

   on high rocky heels

4. 4
   adj

   Abounding in, or full of, rocks; consisting of rocks.

   a rocky mountain    a rocky shore

5. 5
   adj

   Like a rock; rigid, solid.

   Marsh went on as his prisoner drank. "Because you're caught in the middle of my alternate plan, Ram-Jam, which ram-jams your ass between the rockiest rock and the hardest hard place you ever imagined.

6. 6
   adj

   Not easily affected or impressed; stony; hard; obdurate; unfeeling.

   to have a rocky heart

7. 7
   adj

   Having little or no money; stony broke.

   1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London "Come, George, fork out. I'm sorry if you're rocky too but it's an absolute that it's no good going back without it." "'Rocky,' my God!" said George, echoing her shallow laugh. "Well—but how much do you need to square it?"

8. 8
   adj

   Easily rocked; unstable.

   The table was rocky, so we put a book under one leg.

Etymology

From Middle English rokki, rokky (“rocky”), from rok, rokke (“rock; a rock or stone; large rock by a coast or in the sea; rocky outcrop on a mountain, cliff; castle, citadel, stronghold”) [and other forms] + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Rok, rokke are derived from: * Old English *rocc (“rock”); and * Anglo-Norman roc, roce, roque, and Old French roce, roke, roque, variants of roche (“rock”); both from Medieval Latin roca, rocca; further etymology uncertain, possibly of Celtic origin. The English word is analysable as rock + -y (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘having the quality of’).