steady

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Firm and not shaking or moving.

   Hold the ladder steady while I go up.

2. 2
   adj

   Continuing at the same regular rate without sudden changes.

   The car moved at a steady speed along the highway.

3. 3
   adj

   Calm and not easily upset or worried.

   You need steady nerves to do this job.

4. 4
   verb

   To make something firm and stop it from shaking.

   She steadied herself against the wall.

Common collocations

• steady boyfriend Adjective + noun
• steady beat Adjective + noun
• steady hand Adjective + noun
• steady rain Adjective + noun

From Middle English stedy, studi, stidiȝ, perhaps continuing Old English stæþþiġ, ġestæþþiġ (“steadfast, stable, firm, staid”), equivalent to stead + -y; or calquing Middle Low German or Middle Dutch stēdig. Cognate with Saterland Frisian stoadig (“steady”), West Frisian stadich (“slow”), Danish stedig, stadig, steeg, Swedish stadig, Icelandic stöðugur, German stätig, stetig. Compare also Old English ġestedegian (“to bring to a standstill”) and Dutch steeds (“more and more”). Adjective sense 8 is a semantic loan from Singapore Hokkien 在 (chāi, “confident, skilled”, literally “steady”).

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