stiletto en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- [stɪˈlɛɾoʊ] (US)
- /stɪˈlɛtoʊ/ (US)
- /stɪˈlɛtəʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian stiletto. By surface analysis, Latin stilus + Italian -etto. Doublet of stylet.
Meanings
-
A small, slender knife or dagger-like weapon intended for stabbing.
There the cause of death was soon ascertained; the victim of this daring outrage had been stabbed to death from ear to ear with a long, sharp instrument, in shape like an antique stiletto, which, I may tell you, was subsequently found under the cushions of the hansom.
1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tremarn Case”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC, section 1; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
- A rapier.
- An awl.
- A woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel (called a stiletto heel).
-
(historical, obsolete) A beard trimmed into a pointed form.
The very quaik of faſhions, the very hee that / VVeares a Steletto on his chinne.
c. 1635–1636 (date written), Iohn Ford [i.e., John Ford], The Fancies, Chast and Noble: […], London: […] E[lizabeth] P[urslowe] for Henry Seile, […], published 1638, →OCLC, Act III, page 32:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| stilettoes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| stilettos | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| stiletti | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
stiletto fly · stilettolike · stiletto snake · stiletto heel
Synonyms
Translations (45)
ja 短剣 (stabbing weapon) · ar خُنَيْجِر (stabbing weapon) · fi stiletti (stabbing weapon) · it tacco (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · ru стиле́т (stabbing weapon) · fr stylet (stabbing weapon) · fi piikkikorkokenkä (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · uk стиле́т (stabbing weapon) · be шпі́лька (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · de Dolchmesser (stabbing weapon) · fr talon aiguille (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · ru ко́ртик (stabbing weapon) · ru кинжа́л (stabbing weapon) · de Stöckelschuh (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · es zapato de tacón de aguja (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · eo stileto (stabbing weapon) · mk шти́кла (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · bg високи токчета (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · de Stiletto (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · ko 단검 (stabbing weapon) · pl szpilka (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · ja 小剣 (stabbing weapon) · ro stilet (stabbing weapon) · es estilete (stabbing weapon) · ko 스틸레토 (stabbing weapon) · sv stilettklack (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · io stileto (stabbing weapon) · pl sztylet (stabbing weapon) · pt estilete (stabbing weapon) · ru шпи́лька (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · bg малка кама (stabbing weapon) · be штыле́т (stabbing weapon) · tr kama (stabbing weapon) · ja スティレット (stabbing weapon) · sv stilett (stabbing weapon) · bg стилет (stabbing weapon) · ga stílín (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · it stiletto (stabbing weapon) · lt stiletas (stabbing weapon) · de Stilett (stabbing weapon) · ga stílín (stabbing weapon) · nl stiletto (stabbing weapon) · tr stiletto (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel) · cmn 短劍 /短剑 (stabbing weapon) · uk шпи́лька (woman's shoe with a tall, slender heel)