stead

[sted] /stɛd/

noun

the place of a person or thing as occupied by a successor or substitute:

The nephew of the queen came in her stead.

Obsolete. a place or locality.

verb (used with object)

to be of service, advantage, or avail to.

Idioms

stand in good stead, to be useful to, especially in a critical situation:

Your experience will stand you in good stead.

Origin

before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English stede; cognate with German Stätte place; akin to German Stadt, Old Norse stathr, Gothic staths, Greek stásis (see stasis); (v.) Middle English steden, derivative of the noun

British Dictionary definitions for stand in good stead

stead

/stɛd/

noun

(preceded by in) (rare) the place, function, or position that should be taken by another: to come in someone's stead

stand someone in good stead, to be useful or of good service to (someone)

verb

(transitive) (archaic) to help or benefit

Word Origin

Old English stede; related to Old Norse stathr place, Old High German stat place, Latin statiō a standing, statim immediately

Stead

/stɛd/

noun

Christina (Ellen). 1902–83, Australian novelist. Her works include Seven Poor Men of Sydney (1934), The Man who Loved Children (1940), and Cotters' England (1966)

Word Origin and History for stand in good stead

stead

Old English stede "place, position, standing, delay," related to standan "to stand," from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (cf. Old Saxon stedi, Old Norse staðr, Swedish stad, Dutch stede "place," Old High German stat, German Stadt "town," Gothic staþs "place"), from PIE *stetis-, from root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Now chiefly in compounds or phrases. "The sense 'town, city' for G. Stadt is a late development from c.1200 when the term began to replace Burg" [Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names].

Idioms and Phrases with stand in good stead

stand in good stead

Be extremely useful, as in That umbrella stood me in good stead on our trip; it rained every day. [ c. 1300 ]

stead

see:

also see under:

instead