stodgy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈstɒ.d͡ʒi/^[1]

Etymology

It was formed from stodge^[2][3][4][5] and the suffix -y.^[3][4][5] Stodge “to stuff, cram” (1674) is of unknown origin,^[4] perhaps imitative.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of a thick, semi-solid consistency (1823).^[6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The noun stodge came to mean heavy, filling food (1825–1841),^[3][4] and stodgy was applied to such food from 1858.^[6][3] The figurative sense “dull, heavy” developed by 1874,^[6][3][4] first of writing and conversation^[6] and from 1895 of people and their lives.^[6] The sense of being bulky in figure dates from 1854,^[6][7] and that of being stuffy and old-fashioned is now common.^[2][7][5][1]

Timeline

• 1674 – stodge, to stuff.^[3][4]
• 1823 – thick, semi-solid.^[6][3][4]
• 1854 – bulky in figure.^[6][7]
• 1858 – of food, heavy.^[6][3]
• 1874 – dull, heavy, of writing.^[6][3][4]
• 1895 – of persons, dull.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Dull, unimaginative and commonplace.
2. Old-fashioned, prim or pompous; stuffy.
3. Of food, heavy and starchy.
4. Solidly built; stocky.

Word family

• stodgily
• stodginess

Related words

• stodge

Usage notes

Random House gives tiresome, stuffy and prosaic as synonyms, and lively and exciting as antonyms.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster