stew

Etymology 1

From Middle English stewe, stue, from Anglo-Norman estouve, Old French estuve (“bath, bathhouse”) (modern French étuve), from Medieval Latin stupha, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *extufāre, from ex- + Ancient Greek τῦφος (tûphos, “smoke, steam”), from τύφω (túphō, “to smoke”). See also Italian stufare, Portuguese estufar. Compare also Old English stuf-bæþ (“a hot-air bath, vapour bath”); see stove.

noun

1. (obsolete) A cooking-dish used for boiling; a cauldron.
2. (now historical) A heated bath-room or steam-room; also, a hot bath.
3. (archaic) A brothel.
   … and the agrieved person shall doe more manly, to be extraordinary and singular in claiming the due right whereof he is frustrated, then to piece up his lost contentment by visiting the Stews, or stepping to his neighbours bed, which is the common shift in this mis-fortune, or els by suffering his usefull life to wast away and be lost under a secret affliction of an unconscionable size to humane strength. 1643, John Milton, Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
   And rak'd, for converts, even the court and stews. 1681, John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel
   Because he was chaste, the precinct of his temple is filled with licensed stews. 1835, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Sir James Mackintosh
   Although whores were permitted to sit at the door of the stew, they could not solicit in any way nor ‘chide or throw stones’ at passers-by. 1977, Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, Folio Society, published 2006, page 37
4. (obsolete) A prostitute.
   But it was so plotted betwixt the Lady, her Husband, and Bristol, that instead of that beauty, he had a notorious Stew sent him, and surely his carriage there was so lascivious... 1650, Anthony Weldon, The Court and Character of King James I
5. (uncountable, countable) A dish cooked by stewing.
   I noticed then that there was nothing to drink on the table but brandy, and nothing to eat but salted herrings, and a hot, sickly, highly peppered stew. 1870, Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Wordsworth Classics, published 1998, page 367
6. (Sussex) A pool in which fish are kept in preparation for eating.
   It was used as a stew, so that the inhabitants of the castle could have fish on Fridays, and for this reason the architects had been careful not to let the drains and sewers run into it. It was stocked with fish every year. 1958, T[erence] H[anbury] White, chapter V, in The Once and Future King, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, book I (The Sword in the Stone)
7. (US, regional) An artificial bed of oysters.
8. (slang) A state of agitated excitement, worry, and/or confusion.
   to be in a stew

Etymology 2

From Middle English stewen, stuwen, from the noun above; and also from Middle English stiven, styven (“to bathe, cook, stew”).

verb

1. (transitive or intransitive or ergative) To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering.
   I'm going to stew some meat for the casserole.
   The meat is stewing nicely.
2. (transitive) To brew (tea) for too long, so that the flavour becomes too strong.
3. (intransitive, figurative) To suffer under uncomfortably hot conditions.
4. (intransitive, figurative) To be in a state of elevated anxiety or anger.

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of steward or stewardess.

noun

1. (informal) A steward or stewardess on an airplane or boat.
   And then, working as a stew for American Airlines, Mo met another older man […] . 1975 November 3, Mordecai Richler, "The Perils of Maureen", New York, volume 8, number 44, page 8 http://google.com/books?id=OekCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=stew
   "[…]We want to know what he's going to be saying on his airplane." "I don't have the legs to dress up as a stew, doc. Besides, I never learned to do the tea ceremony, either." 1991, Tom Clancy, The Sum of All Fears, published 1992, page 480
   Dallas was also becoming known as a "stew zoo" because so many flight attendants were relocating there to work for Southwest, Braniff, and American Airlines. 1992 January, Skip Hollandsworth, "Doing the Hustle", Texas Monthly, ISSN 0148-7736, volume 20, issue 1, page 52 http://google.com/books?id=dysEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52&dq=stew