[stohp] 
,noun, verb, stoped, stop⋅ing.| 1. | any excavation made in a mine, esp. from a steeply inclined vein, to remove the ore that has been rendered accessible by the shafts and drifts. |
| 2. | to mine or work by stopes. |
| stope (stōp) n. An excavation in the form of steps made by the mining of ore from steeply inclined or vertical veins. tr.v. stoped, stop·ing, stopes To remove (ore) from or mine by means of a stope. [Perhaps from Low German, step, from Middle Low German stōpe.] stop'er n. |
