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Stale - 12 dictionary results
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stale

1  [steyl] ,adjective, stal⋅er, stal⋅est, verb, staled, stal⋅ing.
Use Stale in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not fresh; vapid or flat, as beverages; dry or hardened, as bread.
2. musty; stagnant: stale air.
3. having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite: a stale joke.
4. having lost freshness, vigor, quick intelligence, initiative, or the like, as from overstrain, boredom, or surfeit: He had grown stale on the job and needed a long vacation.
5. Law. having lost force or effectiveness through absence of action, as a claim.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6. to make or become stale.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME; akin to MD stel in same sense; perh. akin to stand or to stale 2

Related forms:
stalely, adverb
staleness, noun

Synonyms:
1. hard, tasteless, sour, insipid. 3. uninteresting, stereotyped, old, common.

Antonyms:
1. fresh.

stale

2  [steyl] ,
–verb (used without object), staled, stal⋅ing.
(of livestock, esp. horses) to urinate.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME stalen to urinate; c. G stallen, Dan stalle, Norw, Sw stalla
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Stale
stale 1   (stāl)   
adj.   stal·er, stal·est
  1. Having lost freshness, effervescence, or palatability: stale bread; stale air.
  2. Lacking originality or spontaneity: a stale joke.
  3. Impaired in efficacy, vigor, or spirit, as from inactivity or boredom.
  4. Law Having lost effectiveness or force through lack of exercise or action.
tr. & intr.v.   staled, stal·ing, stales
To make or become stale.

[Middle English, settled, clear (used of beer or wine), probably from Old French estale, slack, settled, clear, from estaler, to come to a standstill, halt, from estal, standing place, stand, of Germanic origin; see stel- in Indo-European roots.]
stale'ly adv., stale'ness n.
stale 2   (stāl)   
intr.v.   staled, stal·ing, stales
To urinate. Used especially of horses and camels.
n.  The urine of certain animals, especially horses and camels.

[Middle English stalen, possibly of Low German origin; akin to Middle Low German stallen.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Stale

Stale\, n. [OE. stale, stele, AS. st[ae]l, stel; akin to LG. & D. steel, G. stiel; cf. L. stilus stake, stalk, stem, Gr. ? a handle, and E. stall, stalk, n.] The stock or handle of anything; as, the stale of a rake. [Written also steal, stele, etc.]

But seeling the arrow's stale without, and that the head did go No further than it might be seen. --Chapman.

Stale

Stale\, a. [Akin to stale urine, and to stall, n.; probably from Low German or Scandinavian. Cf. Stale, v. i.]

1. Vapid or tasteless from age; having lost its life, spirit, and flavor, from being long kept; as, stale beer.

2. Not new; not freshly made; as, stele bread.

3. Having lost the life or graces of youth; worn out; decayed. "A stale virgin." --Spectator.

4. Worn out by use or familiarity; having lost its novelty and power of pleasing; trite; common. --Swift.

Wit itself, if stale is less pleasing. --Grew.

How weary, stale flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! --Shak.

Stale affidavit (Law), an affidavit held above a year. --Craig.

Stale demand (Law), a claim or demand which has not been pressed or demanded for a long time.

Stale

Stale\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Staled; p. pr. & vb. n. Staling.] To make vapid or tasteless; to destroy the life, beauty, or use of; to wear out.

Age can not wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety. --Shak.

Stale

Stale\, v. i. [Akin to D. & G. stallen, Dan. stalle, Sw. stalla, and E. stall a stable. ? 163. See Stall, n., and cf. Stale, a.] To make water; to discharge urine; -- said especially of horses and cattle. --Hudibras.

Stale

Stale\, n. [See Stale, a. & v. i.]

1. That which is stale or worn out by long keeping, or by use. [Obs.]

2. A prostitute. [Obs.] --Shak.

3. Urine, esp. that of beasts. "Stale of horses." --Shak.

Stale

Stale\, n. [Cf. OF. estal place, position, abode, market, F. ['e]tal a butcher's stall, OHG. stal station, place, stable, G. stall (see Stall, n.); or from OE. stale theft, AS. stalu (see Steal, v. t.)]

1. Something set, or offered to view, as an allurement to draw others to any place or purpose; a decoy; a stool pigeon. [Obs.]

Still, as he went, he crafty stales did lay. --Spenser.

2. A stalking-horse. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

3. (Chess) A stalemate. [Obs.] --Bacon.

4. A laughingstock; a dupe. [Obs.] --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Stale
Italian: stantio, vecchio,
German: alt,
Japanese: 新鮮でない
More Translations »

stale 
c.1300, "freed from dregs or lees" (of ale, wine, etc.), i.e. "having stood long enough to clear," cognate with M.Du. stel "stale" (of beer), and probably ult. from P.Gmc. base *sta- "stand," the source of O.E. standan "to stand," Perhaps via O.Fr. estaler "halt," from Frankish *stal- "position" (see stall (1)). The meaning "not fresh" is first recorded 1475. Fig. sense (of immaterial things) is recorded from 1562.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: stale
Function: adjective
: impaired in legal effect or force by reason of not being used, acted upon, or demanded in a timely fashion stale information> stale claim>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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