c.1400, "to bathe in a steam bath," from O.Fr.
estuver (Fr.
étuver) "bathe, stew," of uncertain origin. Common Romanic (cf. Sp.
estufar, It.
stufare), possibly from V.L.
*extufare "evaporate," from
ex- "out" +
*tufus "vapor, steam," from Gk.
typhos "smoke." Cf. O.E.
stuf-bæþ "hot-air bath;" see
stove. Meaning "to boil slowly, to cook meat by simmering it in liquid" is attested from c.1420. The meaning "to be left to the consequences of one's actions" is from 1656, from fig. expression
to stew in one's own juices. Slang
stewed "drunk" first attested 1737.