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stall
12 dictionary results for: stall
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stall1 
[stawl] Pronunciation Key,
—Related forms
[stawl] Pronunciation Key, –noun
–verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | a compartment in a stable or shed for the accommodation of one animal. |
| 2. | a stable or shed for horses or cattle. |
| 3. | a booth or stand in which merchandise is displayed for sale, or in which some business is carried on (sometimes used in combination): a butcher's stall; a bookstall. |
| 4. | carrel (def. 1). |
| 5. | one of a number of fixed enclosed seats in the choir or chancel of a church for the use of the clergy. |
| 6. | a pew. |
| 7. | any small compartment or booth for a specific activity or housing a specific thing: a shower stall. |
| 8. | a rectangular space marked off or reserved for parking a car or other vehicle, as in a parking lot. |
| 9. | an instance or the condition of causing an engine, or a vehicle powered by an engine, to stop, esp. by supplying it with a poor fuel mixture or by overloading it. |
| 10. | Aeronautics. an instance or the condition of causing an airplane to fly at an angle of attack greater than the angle of maximum lift, causing loss of control and a downward spin. Compare critical angle (def. 2). |
| 11. | a protective covering for a finger or toe, as various guards and sheaths or one finger of a glove. |
| 12. | British. a chairlike seat in a theater, separated from others by arms or rails, esp. one in the front section of the parquet. |
| 13. | to assign to, put, or keep in a stall or stalls, as an animal or a car. |
| 14. | to confine in a stall for fattening, as cattle. |
| 15. | to cause (a motor or the vehicle it powers) to stop, esp. by supplying it with a poor fuel mixture or overloading it. |
| 16. | Aeronautics.
|
| 17. | to bring to a standstill; check the progress or motion of, esp. unintentionally. |
| 18. | to cause to stick fast, as in mire or snow. |
| 19. | (of an engine, car, airplane, etc.) to be stalled or go through the process of stalling (sometimes fol. by out). |
| 20. | to come to a standstill; be brought to a stop. |
| 21. | to stick fast, as in mire. |
| 22. | to occupy a stall, as an animal. |
[Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE steall; c. G Stall, ON stallr; akin to OE stellan, G stellen to put, place]
] —Related forms
stall-like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stall2
[stawl] Pronunciation Key,
[stawl] Pronunciation Key, –verb (used without object)
–verb (used with object)
–noun
| 1. | to delay, esp. by evasion or deception. |
| 2. | Sports. to prolong holding the ball as a tactic to prevent the opponent from scoring, as when one's team has the lead. Compare freeze (def. 31). |
| 3. | to delay or put off, esp. by evasion or deception (often fol. by off): He stalled the police for 15 minutes so his accomplice could get away. |
| 4. | a pretext, as a ruse, trick, or the like, used to delay or deceive. |
| 5. | Underworld Slang. the member of a pickpocket's team who distracts the victim long enough for the theft to take place. |
| 6. | Sports. slowdown (def. 3). |
[Origin: 1490–1500; earlier stale decoy bird (> AF estale decoy pigeon), OE stæl- decoy (in stælhrān decoy reindeer); akin to stall1]
]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| stall 1
(stôl) Pronunciation Key
n.
v. stalled, stall·ing, stalls v. tr.
v. intr.
[Middle English stalle, from Old English steall, standing place, stable; see stel- in Indo-European roots.] |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| stall 2
(stôl) Pronunciation Key
n. A ruse or tactic used to mislead or delay. v. stalled, stall·ing, stalls v. tr. To employ delaying tactics against: stall off creditors. v. intr. To employ delaying tactics: stalling for time. [Alteration (influenced by stall1) of obsolete stale, pickpocket's accomplice, from Middle English, decoy, from Anglo-Norman estale, of Germanic origin; possibly akin to Old English stǣl, stathol, place, position; see staddle.] |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stall (n.1)
stall (n.1)
"place in a stable for animals," O.E. steall "place where cattle are kept, place, position," from P.Gmc. *stallaz (cf. O.N. stallr "pedestal for idols, altar," O.Fris. stal, O.H.G. stall "stand, place, stable, stall," Ger. Stall "stable," Stelle "place"), earlier *stalnaz- or *stathlo-, from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (cf. Gk. stellein "to set in order, arrange, equip;" see stet). The word passed into Romanic languages (cf. It. stallo "place," stalla "stable;" O.Fr. estal "place, position, stand, stall," Fr. étal "butcher's stall"). Several meanings, including that of "a stand for selling" (c.1250, implied in stallage "tax levied for the privilege of erecting a stall at a market or fair"), are from (or influenced by) O.Fr. estal. Meaning "partially enclosed seat in a choir" is attested from c.1400; that of "urinal in a men's room" is from 1967.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stall (n.2)
stall (n.2)
"pretense to avoid doing something," variant of stale "bird used as a decoy to lure other birds" (c.1440), from Anglo-Fr. estale "decoy, pigeon used to lure a hawk" (13c., cf. stool pigeon), lit. "standstill," from O.Fr. estal "place, stand, stall," from Frankish *stal- "position," cognate with O.E. steall (see stall (n.1)). Cf. O.E. stælhran "decoy reindeer," Ger. stellvogel "decoy bird." Fig. sense of "deception, means of allurement" is first recorded c.1529. Meaning "evasive trick or story, pretext, excuse" first recorded 1812 (see stall (v.)); sense entwined with that of "thief's assistant" (1591).
"The stallers up are gratified with such part of the gains acquired as the liberality of the knuckling gentlemen may prompt them to bestow." [J.H. Vaux, "Flash Dictionary," 1812]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stall (v.)
stall (v.)
1592, "to screen a pickpocket from observation," from stall (n.2) "decoy." Meaning "to precaricate, be evasive, play for time" is attested from 1903. Of engines or engine-powered vehicles, it is attested from 1904 (trans.), 1914 (intrans.), from earlier sense of "to become stuck, come to a standstill" (c.1400), which is directly from O.Fr. estale or O.E. steall (see stall (n.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| stall | |
noun | |
| 1. | a compartment in a stable where a single animal is confined and fed |
| 2. | small area set off by walls for special use [syn: booth] |
| 3. | a booth where articles are displayed for sale |
| 4. | a malfunction in the flight of an aircraft in which there is a sudden loss of lift that results in a downward plunge; "the plane went into a stall and I couldn't control it" |
| 5. | seating in the forward part of the main level of a theater |
| 6. | small individual study area in a library [syn: carrel] |
| 7. | a tactic used to mislead or delay |
verb | |
| 1. | postpone doing what one should be doing; "He did not want to write the letter and procrastinated for days" [syn: procrastinate] |
| 2. | come to a stop; "The car stalled in the driveway" |
| 3. | deliberately delay an event or action; "she doesn't want to write the report, so she is stalling" |
| 4. | put into, or keep in, a stall; "Stall the horse" |
| 5. | experience a stall in flight, of airplanes |
| 6. | cause an airplane to go into a stall |
| 7. | cause an engine to stop; "The inexperienced driver kept stalling the car" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stall
Stall\, n. A covering or sheath, as of leather, horn, of iron, for a finger or thumb; a cot; as, a thumb stall; a finger stall.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stall
Stall\, n. [OE. stal, AS. steall, stall, a place, seat, or station, a stable; akin to D. & OHG. stal, G. & Sw. stall, stallr, Dan. stald, originally, a standing place; akin to G. selle a place, stellen to place, Gr. ? to set, place, send, and E. stand. ? 163. See Stand, and cf. Apostle, Epistle, Forestall, Install, Stale, a. & v. i., 1st Stalk, Stallion, Still.]1. A stand; a station; a fixed spot; hence, the stand or place where a horse or an ox kept and fed; the division of a stable, or the compartment, for one horse, ox, or other animal. "In an oxes stall." --Chaucer. 2. A stable; a place for cattle. At last he found a stall where oxen stood. --Dryden. 3. A small apartment or shed in which merchandise is exposed for sale; as, a butcher's stall; a bookstall. 4. A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale. How peddlers' stalls with glittering toys are laid. --Gay. 5. A seat in the choir of a church, for one of the officiating clergy. It is inclosed, either wholly or partially, at the back and sides. The stalls are frequently very rich, with canopies and elaborate carving. The dignifird clergy, out of humanility, have called their thrones by the names of stalls. --Bp. Warburton. Loud the monks in their stalls. --Longfellow. 6. In the theater, a seat with arms or otherwise partly inclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc. 7. (Mining) The space left by excavation between pillars. See Post and stall, under Post. Stall reader, one who reads books at a stall where they are exposed for sale. Cries the stall reader, "Bless us! what a word on A titlepage is this!" --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stall
Stall\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stalling.] [Cf. Sw. stalla, Dan. stalde.]1. To put into a stall or stable; to keep in a stall or stalls; as, to stall an ox. Where King Latinus then his oxen stalled. Dryden. 2. To fatten; as, to stall cattle. [Prov. Eng.] 3. To place in an office with the customary formalities; to install. --Shak. 4. To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix; as, to stall a cart. --Burton. His horses had been stalled in the snow. --E. E. Hale. 5. To forestall; to anticipitate. Having This not to be stall'd by my report. --Massinger. 6. To keep close; to keep secret. [Obs.] Stall this in your bosom. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Stall
Stall\, v. i. [AS. steallian to have room. See Stall, n.]1. To live in, or as in, a stall; to dwell. [Obs.] We could not stall together In the whole world. --Shak. 2. To kennel, as dogs. --Johnson. 3. To be set, as in mire or snow; to stick fast. 4. To be tired of eating, as cattle. [Prov. Eng.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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