/ staʊt; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective ( stout·er , stout·est )
1.
( of a person ) rather fat
SYN plump
2.
[ usually before noun ] strong and thick :
a stout pair of shoes
3.
[ usually before noun ] ( formal ) brave and determined :
He put up a stout defence in court.
► stout·ly adverb :
He was tall and stoutly built.
'I disagree,' said Polly stoutly.
► stout·ness noun [ U ]
■ noun
[ U , C ] strong dark beer made with malt or barley
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French and Old French dialect, of West Germanic origin; perhaps related to stilt . The noun (late 17th cent.) originally denoted any strong beer and is probably elliptical for stout ale .