1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Still

STILL. (1) (O. Eng. stille, a word appearing in many Teutonic languages, all derived from the root, meaning to set in position or rest, seen in " stall," Ger. stellen, &c.), motionless, noiseless, or when used of wines or mineral waters, having little or no effervescence. As an adverb, " still " has preserved the original sense of " that which preserves its position," and thus means continually, permanently, now as before. (2) From the shortened form of " distil," Lat. distillare, to drip, trickle down, stilla, a drop, dim. of stiria. The older word for a " still " in English was stillatory, Medieval Latin stillatorium, an apparatus for heating substances and condensing the vapours (see Distillation and Spirits).