Table of Contents
The word for today is…
stubborn (adjective) -
1a(1): unreasonably unyielding : mulish
(2): justifiably unyielding : resolute
b: suggestive or typical of a strong stubborn nature
2: performed or carried on in an unyielding, obstinate, or persistent manner
3: difficult to handle, manage, or treat
4: lasting
Source : Merriam-Webster
Etymology : Most of us are familiar with the expression stubborn as a mule, which some feel is unfair to this hybrid animal. In fairness to the mule, let us look at some of the other animals that the English language has seen fit to equate with stubbornness over the years. John Wolcot wrote of being “as stubborn as a halter’d ram.” In the 19th century satirical work The Family of the Seisers, a character is described as being “as stubborn as a dog-fish.” And a character in Maria Edgeworth’s play Love and Law describes her own hair as “stubborn as a Presbyterian.” These curious phrases are, however, exceptional: the mule is by far the most commonly referenced animal when describing stubbornness. We have been using as stubborn as a mule since at least 1771, when the expression appears in Tobias Smollett’s The Expedition of Humphry Clinker. The word comes from the Middle English stibourne, stuborn and has been in use since the 14th century.
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