Stills

/ˈstɪlz/ noun

Definition

Apparatus used to distill liquids (like making whiskey), or singular moments frozen in time from a movie or video.

Etymology

From Old English 'stille' meaning 'quiet' or 'motionless.' The distillery sense comes from the apparatus that keeps a liquid 'still' while heating it; the photography sense comes from images that are 'still' (not moving), originally from motion pictures.

Kelly Says

The word 'still' brilliantly captures both a distillery's peaceful operation and a frozen photograph because both involve stopping motion—one stops liquid from boiling away, the other stops time from flowing past.

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