English
stone dead
Stone dead comes from Middle English stone-dede.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stone-dede
- Englishearliest quotation 1886stone dead
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stone-dede
- Englishearliest quotation 1886stone dead
Earliest quotation: 1886, – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard: “'I congratulate you; it was a lovely shot, and…”
Every English word from Middle English stone-dede
Today it means
adj Utterly dead.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English stone-dede / stone dead