Sticche

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a small piece, bit, or portion of a larger whole, used in Middle English writing
2. A Middle English word meaning a little part or fragment cut off from something bigger
3. In older English texts, a portion or morsel of a thing, a small division of a whole

Etymology: "Sticche" is a rare Middle English noun, and its story is mostly about how little survives of it. It is attested in the Old English-to-Middle English period, where it referred to a piece or stick of something, a small portion cut or split from a larger whole, related to the same root that gave English "stick." Its main claim to a place in the record is its occurrence in early Middle English texts, where it appears alongside the ordinary words for pieces of wood and cut portions. The word belongs to the Germanic family that also produced "stick," "stock," and "stake," all built on the idea of something stiff or pointed that has been split or driven. Because "sticche" is recorded only sparingly, its exact spelling, meaning and dating rest on a thin set of attestations, and the precise sense it carried in any given text is hard to pin down with confidence.

Synonyms: piece, part, bit