Covered with or containing many stones, or resembling stone in hardness or coldness. Showing no emotion or sympathy; unresponsive.
From Old English 'stanig,' from 'stan' meaning stone plus the adjective-forming suffix '-y.' The metaphorical sense of emotional hardness developed from the physical properties of stone—cold, hard, and unchanging.
The dual meaning of 'stony'—both literally rocky and figuratively emotionless—reflects humanity's ancient association of stone with permanence and lack of feeling. When we say someone has a 'stony heart' or gives a 'stony stare,' we're using one of our oldest metaphors for emotional distance.
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