(n): a woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of the body
(n): continuing or remaining in a place or state
(n): something that people do or cause to happen
(n): the state of inactivity following an interruption
(n): the state of being inactive
(n): a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted
(n): a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)
(n): a thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset)
(n): artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
(n): (nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar
(n): a structural member used to stiffen a framework
stay
(v): stay the same; remain in a certain state
(v): have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
(v): stay put (in a certain place)
(v): be stationary
(v): dwell
(v): continue in a place, position, or situation
(v): continue in a place, position, or situation
(v): have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
(v): remain behind
(v): stop or halt
(v): slow the growth or development of
(v): stay behind
(v): hang on during a trial of endurance
(v): stop a judicial process
(v): stop from happening or developing
(v): fasten with stays
(v): cause to be firmly attached
(v): overcome or allay
(v): fill or meet a want or need
Also "pair of stays." In the plural, a laced underbodice, stiffened by the insertion of strips of whale-bone, metal, or wood, worn by women (sometimes by men) to give shape and support to the figure. The use of the plural is due to the fact that stays were originally made in two pieces laced together. Like a corset, but not quite the same (esp. as worn in the eighteenth century).