s-t-i-l-l
STILL means motionless, quiet, or continuing; also a distillation apparatus or a single photographic frame. As an adverb, it means even now or nevertheless.
5
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
STILL embodies the paradox of stasis and continuation, silence and persistence. This remarkably versatile word functions as adjective, adverb, noun, and verb, capturing concepts from absolute motionlessness to ongoing action, from photographic frames to moonshine apparatus. Its linguistic flexibility mirrors its semantic range—a word that means both "not moving" and "continuing to move," revealing how language captures life's contradictions in a single syllable.
As an adjective, still primarily means motionless or calm. A still pond reflects perfectly because no ripples disturb its surface. Still air hangs heavy before storms. A still figure might be sleeping, meditating, or frozen in fear. This physical stillness extends metaphorically: a still mind achieves clarity, still waters run deep, and still moments provide respite from chaos. The word captures both external quietude and internal peace.
The adverbial usage—"still" meaning "even now" or "nevertheless"—seems contradictory yet reveals deeper truth. "I still love you" implies both continuation and surprise that love persists. "Still, we must try" acknowledges difficulty while insisting on action. This temporal "still" bridges past and present, expectation and reality. It's the linguistic equivalent of persistence itself, a word that refuses to give up.
In distillation, a still is the apparatus for purifying liquids through evaporation and condensation. From medieval alchemists seeking essence to modern moonshiners crafting spirits, stills transform raw materials into concentrated forms. Pot stills, column stills, and reflux stills each offer different purification methods. The word connects to stillness through the careful, patient process—rushing ruins distillation. This meaning gave us "distill" and metaphorical uses like "distilling wisdom from experience."
Photography and film use "still" for single, motionless images. Movie stills capture frozen moments from moving pictures. Still photography preceded motion pictures, making "moving pictures" the marked term. A still photographer at film sets documents production. This usage highlights photography's essential nature: freezing time, making the ephemeral permanent. Digital technology hasn't changed this—we still call them still images.
The verb form—"to still"—means to calm or quiet. Mothers still crying babies. Leaders still anxious crowds. Time stills grief. This active creation of stillness reveals the word's deepest meaning: stillness isn't mere absence of motion but an achieved state. To still something requires effort, whether calming waters or quieting hearts.
For Scrabble players, STILL offers modest scoring (5 points) but excellent playability. The double L creates opportunities for parallel plays, while common letters ensure high probability of drawing this combination. The word's value lies in its extensions: STILLS, STILLED, STILLING, plus compounds like INSTILL and DISTILL. The -ILL ending connects to numerous words (BILL, FILL, WILL), making STILL a tactical bridge word.
The etymology of "still" reveals a fundamental Indo-European concept of standing and fixedness that evolved into one of English's most versatile words. From Old English "stille" (motionless, stable, quiet), the word traces back to Proto-Germanic *stilli- and ultimately to the Indo-European root *stel- meaning "to put, stand, or make firm."
The Indo-European root *stel- generated a vast family of words across languages, all relating to placing, standing, or fixing in position:
Germanic languages preserved the stillness concept consistently. Old High German "stilli," Old Norse "stillr," and Dutch "stil" all meant quiet or motionless. The Germanic peoples associated stillness with peace—Old English "stillness" meant both lack of motion and tranquility. This connection between physical and spiritual calm shaped the word's development.
The adverbial sense "even now, yet" emerged in Old English by 900 CE, showing remarkable semantic evolution. From "remaining in place" came "remaining in time"—if something stays still, it continues being. "He is still king" originally meant "he remains (stands) as king." This temporal meaning became so common that modern speakers rarely notice the connection to motionlessness.
The distillation meaning arrived via Medieval Latin "stillare" (to drip), from Latin "stilla" (drop). Though etymologically unrelated to stillness, the words merged in English because distillation requires patient, quiet process. By 1200, "still" meant distillation apparatus. The verb "distill" (de- + stillare) meant "to trickle down in drops," perfectly describing the slow condensation process.
Photographic "still" emerged in the 1920s when movies needed to distinguish motionless publicity photos from moving film. The term was retroactively applied to all photography once motion pictures made stillness noteworthy. This usage shows how technological change creates linguistic needs—we only name stillness when motion becomes possible.
Modern English preserves all these meanings simultaneously. A moonshiner's still stands still while distilling, producing still (motionless) liquid that still (continues to) drip. A still from a film stills (freezes) motion. We still (continue to) use still (quiet) moments for reflection. This semantic richness makes "still" one of English's most successful words—still meaningful after a thousand years.
Still as motionlessness appears across contexts: still water (no current), still air (no wind), still life (artistic genre of unmoving objects). Medical "still birth" tragically describes absence of life movement. "Stock-still" intensifies complete motionlessness. Hunters must remain still to avoid detection. Meditation seeks still mind through still body. This physical stillness often symbolizes death, peace, or intense focus.
"Still" as "continuing" creates temporal bridges: "still waiting" links past to present, "still hoping" maintains optimism despite time. This usage often carries emotional weight—"still in love" suggests love's persistence against odds. Questions like "Still here?" express surprise at continuation. Negative constructions ("still not ready") imply frustrated expectations. This temporal still makes duration visible in language.
Distillation stills range from ancient alembics to modern industrial columns. Pot stills produce flavorful spirits; column stills yield purer alcohol. Moonshine stills hide in Appalachian hollows. Gin stills infuse botanicals. Essential oil stills extract plant essences. The still's design affects product quality—copper removes sulfur compounds, tall columns increase refinement. "Still" became metonym for illegal alcohol production during Prohibition.
Film stills serve multiple purposes: publicity, continuity, documentation. Still photographers capture behind-the-scenes moments. "Still frame" extracts single images from video. Digital cameras shoot both stills and video, blurring boundaries. "Still life" photography explores composition with unmoving subjects. The "decisive moment" in street photography stills chaos into art. Instagram made still images social currency in our motion-obsessed age.
Noun (Plural)
stills
The photographer reviewed the stills.
Past Tense
stilled
Her voice stilled the room.
Present Participle
stilling
The medication is stilling his tremors.
Comparative/Superlative
stiller, stillest
The forest grew stiller at night.
Related Terms
Calm surface; hidden depths
Art genre; unmoving objects
Stop moving; freeze
Surviving; enduring
"The lake was so still that the mountains' reflection appeared as clear as a photograph, not a single ripple disturbing the mirror-like surface."
"She stood stock-still in the forest clearing, barely breathing as the deer approached, any movement would send them bounding away."
"In the still of the night, every small sound seemed amplified—the house settling, the clock ticking, the whisper of wind through leaves."
"After thirty years of marriage, they still held hands when walking, still laughed at each other's jokes, still felt butterflies when their eyes met."
"The old lighthouse still stands on the cliff, still warns ships away from rocks, still keeps its century-old vigil despite automation."
"I still remember my grandmother's voice, still hear her lullabies, though she's been gone for twenty years—some things time cannot steal."
"The copper still gleamed in the distillery, patiently transforming fermented grain into whiskey, drop by precious drop, as it had for generations."
"The movie still captured the exact moment of the actress's tears, freezing raw emotion into a single frame that told the entire story."
Total base points: 5 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 1 (I) | Consonants: 4 (S, T, L, L)
Double letter: L appears twice
Common plays with STILL letters:
💡 Tip: Save STILL for board positions allowing double L scores!
Still vs. Steal
Motionless vs. take without permission
Still vs. Until
Continuing vs. up to a point
Distill vs. Instill
Extract essence vs. gradually introduce
CALM
Peaceful; tranquil
QUIET
Making little noise
SERENE
Calm and peaceful
FIXED
Fastened; stationary
FROZEN
Turned to ice; immobile
PAUSE
Temporary stop
Other words with double letters in Scrabble
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