a building for the lodging and feeding of horses, cattle, etc.
2.
such a building with stalls.
3.
a collection of animals housed in such a building.
4.
Horse Racing.
a.
an establishment where racehorses are kept and trained.
b.
the horses belonging to, or the persons connected with, such an establishment.
5.
Informal.
a.
a number of people, usually in the same profession, who are employed, trained, or represented by the same company, agency, manager, etc.: a comedy show with a large stable of writers.
b.
the establishment that trains or manages such a group of people: two boxers from the same stable.
c.
a collection of items produced by or belonging to an establishment, industry, profession, or the like: The American auto industry has some new small cars in its stable.
–verb (used with object)
6.
to put or lodge in or as if in a stable.
–verb (used without object)
7.
to live in or as if in a stable.
[Origin: 1200–50; ME stable < OF estable < L stabulum standing room, equiv. to sta-, s. of stāre to stand+ -bulum n. suffix denoting place]
"building where horses or cows are kept," c.1250, "building for domestic animals," from O.Fr. estable "a stable, stall" (also applied to cowsheds and pigsties), from L. stabulum "a stall, fold, aviary, etc." lit. "a standing place," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Meaning "collection of horses belonging to one stable is attested from 1576; transf. sense of "group of fighters under same management" is from 1897; that of "group of prostitutes working for the same employer" is from 1937.
"For what the grete Stiede Is stole, thanne he taketh hiede, And makth the stable dore fast." [John Gower, "Confessio Amantis," 1390]
"steadfast, firm," c.1275, from O.Fr. estable, from L. stabilis "firm, steadfast," lit. "able to stand," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Physical sense of "secure against falling" is recorded from c.1300. Of nuclear isotopes, from 1904.
Not susceptible to a process of decay, such as radioactivity. For example, the most common isotope of carbon, carbon 12, is stable. Protons and photons are examples of stable subatomic particles. See more at decay.
Relating to a chemical compound that does not easily decompose or change into other compounds. Water is an example of a stable compound.
Relating to an atom or chemical element that is unlikely to share electrons with another atom or element.
Not likely to change significantly or to deteriorate suddenly, as an individual's medical condition.
Main Entry: sta·ble Pronunciation: 'stA-b&l Function: adjective Inflected Forms: sta·bler/-b(&-)l&r/;
sta·blest/-b(&-)l&st/ 1: not changing or fluctuating <the patient's condition was listed as stable> 2: not
subject to insecurity or emotional illness <a stable personality> 3 a: not readily altering in chemical makeup or physical state <stable emulsions>
b: not spontaneously radioactive
Con"sta*ble\ (k[u^]n"st[.a]*b'l), n. [OE. conestable, constable, a constable (in sense 1), OF. conestable, F. conn['e]table, LL. conestabulus, constabularius, comes stabuli, orig., count of the stable, master of the horse, equerry; comes count (L. companion) + L. stabulum stable. See Count a nobleman, and Stable.]1. A high officer in the monarchical establishments of the Middle Ages. Note: The constable of France was the first officer of the crown, and had the chief command of the army. It was also his duty to regulate all matters of chivalry. The office was suppressed in 1627. The constable, or lord high constable, of England, was one of the highest officers of the crown, commander in chief of the forces, and keeper of the peace of the nation. He also had judicial cognizance of many important matters. The office was as early as the Conquest, but has been disused (except on great and solemn occasions), since the attainder of Stafford, duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Henry VIII. 2. (Law) An officer of the peace having power as a conservator of the public peace, and bound to execute the warrants of judicial officers. --Bouvier. Note: In England, at the present time, the constable is a conservator of the peace within his district, and is also charged by various statutes with other duties, such as serving summons, precepts, warrants, etc. In the United States, constables are town or city officers of the peace, with powers similar to those of the constables of England. In addition to their duties as conservators of the peace, they are invested with others by statute, such as to execute civil as well as criminal process in certain cases, to attend courts, keep juries, etc. In some cities, there are officers called high constables, who act as chiefs of the constabulary or police force. In other cities the title of constable, as well as the office, is merged in that of the police officer. High constable, a constable having certain duties and powers within a hundred. [Eng.] Petty constable, a conservator of the peace within a parish or tithing; a tithingman. [Eng.] Special constable, a person appointed to act as constable of special occasions. Tooverrun, or outrun, the constable, to spend more than one's income; to get into debt. [Colloq.] --Smollett.
Es*tab"lish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Established; p. pr. & vb. n. Establishing.] [OE. establissen, OF. establir, F. ['e]tablir, fr. L. stabilire, fr. stabilis firm, steady, stable. See Stable, a., -ish, and cf. Stablish.]1. To make stable or firm; to fix immovably or firmly; to set (a thing) in a place and make it stable there; to settle; to confirm. So were the churches established in the faith. --Acts xvi. 5. The best established tempers can scarcely forbear being borne down. --Burke. Confidence which must precede union could be established only by consummate prudence and self-control. --Bancroft. 2. To appoint or constitute for permanence, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain. By the consent of all, we were established The people's magistrates. --Shak. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed. --Dan. vi. 8. 3. To originate and secure the permanent existence of; to found; to institute; to create and regulate; -- said of a colony, a state, or other institutions. He hath established it [the earth], he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited. --Is. xlv. 18. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity! --Hab. ii. 12. 4. To secure public recognition in favor of; to prove and cause to be accepted as true; as, to establish a fact, usage, principle, opinion, doctrine, etc. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. --Deut. xix. 15. 5. To set up in business; to place advantageously in a fixed condition; -- used reflexively; as, he established himself in a place; the enemy established themselves in the citadel.
In*sta"ble\, a. [L. instabilis: cf. F. instable. See In- not, and Stable, a., and cf. Unstable.] Not stable; not standing fast or firm; unstable; prone to change or recede from a purpose; mutable; inconstant.
Sta"ble\, a. (Physics) So placed as to resist forces tending to cause motion; of such structure as to resist distortion or molecular or chemical disturbance; -- said of any body or substance.
Sta*bil"i*ment\, n. [L. stabilimentum, fr. stabilire to make firm ir stable, fr. stabilis. See Stable, a.] The act of making firm; firm support; establishment. [R.] --Jer. taylor. They serve for stabiliment, propagation, and shade. --Derham.
Sta*bil"i*ty\, n. [L. stabilitas; cf. F. stabilit['e]. See Stable, a.]1. The state or quality of being stable, or firm; steadiness; firmness; strength to stand without being moved or overthrown; as, the stability of a structure; the stability of a throne or a constitution. 2. Steadiness or firmness of character, firmness of resolution or purpose; the quality opposite to fickleness, irresolution, or inconstancy; constancy; steadfastness; as, a man of little stability, or of unusual stability. 3. Fixedness; -- as opposed to fluidity. Since fluidness and stability are contary qualities. --Boyle. Syn: Steadiness; stableness; constancy; immovability; firmness.
Sta"ble\, a. [OE. estable, F. stable, fr. L. stabilis, fr. stare to stand. See Stand, v. i. and cf. Establish.]1. Firmly established; not easily moved, shaken, or overthrown; fixed; as, a stable government. In this region of chance, . . . where nothing is stable. --Rogers. 2. Steady in purpose; constant; firm in resolution; not easily diverted from a purpose; not fickle or wavering; as, a man of stable character. And to her husband ever meek and stable. --Chaucer. 3. Durable; not subject to overthrow or change; firm; as, a stable foundation; a stable position. Stable equibrium (Mech.), the kind of equilibrium of a body so placed that if disturbed it returns to its former position, as in the case when the center of gravity is below the point or axis of support; -- opposed to unstable equilibrium, in which the body if disturbed does not tend to return to its former position, but to move farther away from it, as in the case of a body supported at a point below the center of gravity. Cf. Neutral equilibrium, under Neutral. Syn: Fixed; steady; constant; abiding; strong; durable; firm.
Sta"ble\, n. [OF. estable, F. ['e]table, from L. stabulum, fr. stare to stand. See Stand, v. i.] A house, shed, or building, for beasts to lodge and feed in; esp., a building or apartment with stalls, for horses; as, a horse stable; a cow stable. --Milton. Stable fly (Zo["o]l.), a common dipterous fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) which is abundant about stables and often enters dwellings, especially in autumn. These files, unlike the common house files, which they resemble, bite severely, and are troublesome to horses and cattle.
Stab`u*la"tion\, n. [L. stabulatio, fr. stabulari to stable cattle, fr. stabulum. See Stable, n.]1. The act of stabling or housing beasts. 2. A place for lodging beasts; a stable. [Obs.]
Stand\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stood; p. pr. & vb. n. Standing.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae, Sw. st[*a], Goth. standan, Russ. stoiate, L. stare, Gr. ? to cause to stand, ? to stand, Skr. sth[=a]. [root]163. Cf. Assist, Constant, Contrast, Desist, Destine, Ecstasy, Exist, Interstice, Obstacle, Obstinate, Prest, n., Rest remainder, Soltice, Stable, a. & n., State, n., Statute, Stead, Steed, Stool, Stud of horses, Substance, System.]1. To be at rest in an erect position; to be fixed in an upright or firm position; as: (a) To be supported on the feet, in an erect or nearly erect position; -- opposed to lie, sit, kneel, etc. "I pray you all, stand up!" --Shak. (b) To continue upright in a certain locality, as a tree fixed by the roots, or a building resting on its foundation. It stands as it were to the ground yglued. --Chaucer. The ruined wall Stands when its wind worn battlements are gone. --Byron. 2. To occupy or hold a place; to have a situation; to be situated or located; as, Paris stands on the Seine. Wite ye not where there stands a little town? --Chaucer. 3. To cease from progress; not to proceed; to stop; to pause; to halt; to remain stationary. I charge thee, stand, And tell thy name. --Dryden. The star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. --Matt. ii. 9. 4. To remain without ruin or injury; to hold good against tendencies to impair or injure; to be permanent; to endure; to last; hence, to find endurance, strength, or resources. My mind on its own center stands unmoved. --Dryden. 5. To maintain one's ground; to be acquitted; not to fail or yield; to be safe. Readers by whose judgment I would stand or fall. --Spectator. 6. To maintain an invincible or permanent attitude; to be fixed, steady, or firm; to take a position in resistance or opposition. "The standing pattern of their imitation." --South. The king granted the Jews . . . to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life. --Esther viii. 11. 7. To adhere to fixed principles; to maintain moral rectitude; to keep from falling into error or vice. We must labor so as to stand with godliness, according to his appointment. --Latimer. 8. To have or maintain a position, order, or rank; to be in a particular relation; as, Christian charity, or love, stands first in the rank of gifts. 9. To be in some particular state; to have essence or being; to be; to consist. "Sacrifices . . . which stood only in meats and drinks." --Heb. ix. 10. Accomplish what your signs foreshow; I stand resigned, and am prepared to go. --Dryden. Thou seest how it stands with me, and that I may not tarry. --Sir W. Scott. 10. To be consistent; to agree; to accord. Doubt me not; by heaven, I will do nothing But what may stand with honor. --Massinger. 11. (Naut.) To hold a course at sea; as, to stand from the shore; to stand for the harbor. From the same parts of heaven his navy stands. --Dryden. 12. To offer one's self, or to be offered, as a candidate. He stood to be elected one of the proctors of the university. --Walton. 13. To stagnate; not to flow; to be motionless. Or the black water of Pomptina stands. --Dryden. 14. To measure when erect on the feet. Six feet two, as I think, he stands. --Tennyson. 15. (Law) (a) To be or remain as it is; to continue in force; to have efficacy or validity; to abide. --Bouvier. (b) To appear in court. --Burrill. Stand by (Naut.), a preparatory order, equivalent to Be ready. To stand against, to opposite; to resist. To stand by. (a) To be near; to be a spectator; to be present. (b) To be aside; to be aside with disregard. "In the interim [we] let the commands stand by neglected." --Dr. H. More. (c) To maintain; to defend; to support; not to desert; as, to stand by one's principles or party. (d) To rest on for support; to be supported by. --Whitgift. To stand corrected, to be set right, as after an error in a statement of fact. --Wycherley. To stand fast, to be fixed; to be unshaken or immovable. To stand firmly on, to be satisfied or convinced of. "Though Page be a secure fool, and stands so firmly on his wife's frailty." --Shak. To stand for. (a) To side with; to espouse the cause of; to support; to maintain, or to profess or attempt to maintain; to defend. "I stand wholly for you." --Shak. (b) To be in the place of; to be the substitute or to represent; as, a cipher at the left hand of a figure stands for nothing. "I will not trouble myself, whether these names stand for the same thing, or really include one another." --Locke. To stand in, to cost. "The same standeth them in much less cost." --Robynson (More's Utopia). The Punic wars could not have stood the human race in less than three millions of the species. --Burke. To stand in hand, to conduce to one's interest; to be serviceable or advantageous. To stand off. (a) To keep at a distance. (b) Not to comply. (c) To keep at a distance in friendship, social intercourse, or acquaintance. (d) To appear prominent; to have relief. "Picture is best when it standeth off, as if it were carved." --Sir H. Wotton. To stand off and on (Naut.), to remain near a coast by sailing toward land and then from it. To stand on (Naut.), to continue on the same tack or course. To stand out. (a) To project; to be prominent. "Their eyes stand out with fatness." --Psalm lxxiii. 7. (b) To persist in opposition or resistance; not to yield or comply; not to give way or recede. His spirit is come in, That so stood out against the holy church. --Shak. To stand to. (a) To ply; to urge; to persevere in using. "Stand to your tackles, mates, and stretch your oars." --Dryden. (b) To remain fixed in a purpose or opinion. "I will stand to it, that this is his sense." --Bp. Stillingfleet. (c) To abide by; to adhere to; as to a contrast, assertion, promise, etc.; as, to stand to an award; to stand to one's word. (d) Not to yield; not to fly; to maintain, as one's ground. "Their lives and fortunes were put in safety, whether they stood to it or ran away." --Bacon. (e) To be consistent with; to agree with; as, it stands to reason that he could not have done so. (f) To support; to uphold. "Stand to me in this cause." --Shak. To stand together, to be consistent; to agree. To stand to sea (Naut.), to direct the course from land. To stand under, to undergo; to withstand. --Shak. To stand up. (a) To rise from sitting; to be on the feet. (b) To arise in order to speak or act. "Against whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed." --Acts xxv. 18. (c) To rise and stand on end, as the hair. (d) To put one's self in opposition; to contend. "Once we stood up about the corn." --Shak. To stand up for, to defend; to justify; to support, or attempt to support; as, to stand up for the administration. To stand upon. (a) To concern; to interest. (b) To value; to esteem. "We highly esteem and stand much upon our birth." --Ray. (c) To insist on; to attach much importance to; as, to stand upon security; to stand upon ceremony. (d) To attack; to assault. [A Hebraism] "So I stood upon him, and slew him." --2 Sam. i. 10. To stand with, to be consistent with. "It stands with reason that they should be rewarded liberally." --Sir J. Davies.
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