Sometime in the 15th century, English speakers began to use stalwart in place of the older form stalworth. Although stalworth is now archaic, it laid the groundwork for today's meaning of stalwart. During the 12th century, forms of stalworth began to be used to describe strongly built people or animals (a meaning stalwart carries). It also came to be used as an adjective for people who showed bravery or courage (likewise a meaning passed on to stalwart). So, in a way, stalwart has been serviceable in keeping the spirit of stalworth alive. This character of stalwart is true to its roots. Stalworth came from the Old English word stǣlwierthe (meaning "serviceable"), which, in turn, is thought to come from terms meaning "foundation" and "worth."
tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together.
tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life
Example Sentences
Adjective their strong and stalwart son the stalwart soldiers in the army of Alexander the Great, who willingly followed him to the ends of the known world
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Up until 2021, La Jolla was home to a pair of stalwart brewpubs. Brandon Hernández, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 The regional composers’ organization, one of the nation’s largest, celebrates the music and 80th birthdays of two of its most stalwart and still actively composing members, founder David Bernstein and Greg Steinke. Brett Campbell | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 1 Sep. 2022 Like other reverse engineering platforms, including the NSA’s open source Ghidra tool, the stalwart disassembler IDA, or the firmware analysis tool Binwalk, Ofrak is a neutral investigative framework.Wired, 11 Aug. 2022 There aren’t many clothing manufacturers that have contributed as much to their home nation as the American workwear stalwart Dickies, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Benedict Browne, Robb Report, 27 July 2022 And according to one crypto quant fund manager, the stalwart cryptocurrency could be in for a further drop. Anne Sraders, Fortune, 17 June 2022 In the world of affordable tablets, Amazon’s stalwart Fire 7 has long been the deal to beat, but until today the most recent model hadn't been updated since 2019. Dave Leclair, PCMAG, 18 May 2022 Even stalwart Republicans acknowledge that DeSantis may present as a more polished version of Trump who would give the GOP a better chance of recapturing suburban swing states voters. Steve Contorno And Jeff Zeleny, CNN, 24 Feb. 2022 So too does the stalwart Ortofon SPU series, which delivers profound bass with real meat on its bones. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2022
Noun
Marymount coach Cari Klein might have a new program stalwart on her hands in 5-foot-10 freshman Samantha Destler, who put Huntington Beach away in the first set with three late kills and a big block. Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2022 Classic rock stalwart Foreigner and country singer Trey Lewis will open. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 Saylor has loaded his creation with gigantic debt to amass the most volatile and controversial of assets, while endangering what a stalwart that could have kept minting modest profits for years to come. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022 This supermarket stalwart makes its ice cream with just five ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, vegetable gum, and natural flavor). Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 29 Aug. 2022 Tim Howard also joined Manchester United in 2003, before becoming a stalwart at Everton. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Depends On The Custodian Selected Founded in 2005, Goldsilver.com is another online bullion stalwart.The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Philadelphia stalwart Rob McElhenney co-created and stars in this workplace sitcom set in a video game studio. Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2022 Fellow senior captains and starters Julian Gravereaux and Max Luby anchor the defense, which served as the team’s stalwart. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, alteration of stalworth, from Old English stǣlwierthe serviceable