S (continued 24)

SQUIREEN Squir*een", n.

Defn: One who is half squire and half farmer; — used humorously. [Eng.] C. Kingsley.

SQUIREHOOD Squire"hood, n.

Defn: The rank or state of a squire; squireship. Swift.

SQUIRELING squire"ling, n.

Defn: A petty squire. Tennyson.

SQUIRELY Squire"ly, a. & adv.

Defn: Becoming a squire; like a squire.

SQUIRESHIP squire"ship, n.

Defn: Squirehood.

SQUIRM Squirm, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Squirmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Squirming.] Etym: [Cf. Swarm to climb a tree.]

Defn: To twist about briskly with contor

SQUIRR Squirr, v. t.

Defn: See Squir.

SQUIRREL Squir"rel ( or ; 277), n. Etym: [OE. squirel, OF. esquirel, escurel, F. écureuil, LL. squirelus, squirolus, scuriolus, dim. of L. sciurus, Gr. si`oyros; skia` shade + o'yra` tail. Cf. Shine, v. i.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Sciurus and several allied genera of the famly Sciuridæ. Squirrels generally have a bushy tail, large erect ears, and strong hind legs. They are commonly arboreal in their habits, but many species live in burrows.

Note: Among the common North American squirrels are the gray squirrel (Scirius Carolinensis) and its black variety; the fox, or cat, sqirrel (S. cinereus, or S. niger) which is a large species, and variable in color, the southern variety being frequently black, while the northern and western varieties are usually gray or rusty brown; the red squirrel (see Chickaree); the striped, or chipping, squirrel (see Chipmunk); and the California gray squirrel (S. fossor). Several other species inhabit Mexico and Central America. The common European species (Sciurus vulgaris) has a long tuft of hair on each ear. the so-called Australian squirrels are marsupials. See Petaurist, and Phalanger.

2. One of the small rollers of a carding machine which work with the large cylinder. Barking squirrel (Zoöl.), the prairie dog. — Federation squirrel (Zoöl.), the striped gopher. See Gopher, 2. — Flying squirrel (Zoöl.). See Flying squirrel, in the Vocabulary. — Java squirrel (Zoöl.). See Jelerang. — Squirrel corn (Bot.), a North American herb (Dicantra Canadensis) bearing little yellow tubers. — Squirrel cup (Bot.), the blossom of the Hepatica triloba, a low perennial herb with cup-shaped flowers varying from purplish blue to pink or even white. It is one of the earliest flowers of spring. — Squirrel fish (Zoöl.) (a) A sea bass (Serranus fascicularis) of the Southern United States. (b) The sailor's choice (Diplodus rhomboides). (c) The redmouth, or grunt. (d) A market fish of Bermuda (Holocentrum Ascensione). — Squirrel grass (Bot.), a pestiferous grass (Hordeum murinum) related to barley. In California the stiffly awned spiklets work into the wool of sheep, and into the throat, flesh, and eyes of animals, sometimes even producing death. — Squirrel hake (Zoöl.), a common American hake (Phycis tenuis); — called also white hake. — Squirrel hawk (Zoöl.), any rough-legged hawk; especially, the California species Archibuteo ferrugineus. — Squirrel monkey. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of small, soft-haired South American monkeys of the genus Calithrix. They are noted for their graceful form and agility. See Teetee. (b) A marmoset. — Squirrel petaurus (Zoöl.), a flying phalanger of Australia. See Phalanger, Petaurist, and Flying phalanger under Flying. — Squirrel shrew (Zoöl.), any one of several species of East Indian and Asiatic insectivores of the genus Tupaia. They are allied to the shrews, but have a bushy tail, like that of a squirrel. — Squirrel-tail grass (Bot.), a grass (Hordeum jubatum) found in salt marshes and along the Great Lakes, having a dense spike beset with long awns.

SQUIRT Squirt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Squirted; p. pr. & vb. n. Squirting.] Etym: [Cf. LG. swirtjen to squirt, OSw. sqvätta, E. squander.]

Defn: To drive or eject in a stream out of a narrow pipe or orifice; as, to squirt water. The hard-featured miscreant coolly rolled his tobacco in his cheek, and squirted the juice into the fire grate. Sir W. Scott. Squirting cucumber. (Bot.) See Ecballium.

SQUIRT Squirt, v. i.

1. To be thrown out, or ejected, in a rapid stream, from a narrow orifice; — said of liquids.

2. Hence, to throw out or utter words rapidly; to prate. [Low] L'Estrange.

SQUIRT Squirt, n.

1. An instrument out of which a liquid is ejected in a small stream with force. Young.

2. A small, quick stream; a jet. Bacon.

SQUIRTER Squirt"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, squirts.

SQUIRY Squir"y, n. Etym: [See Squiery.]

Defn: The body of squires, collectively considered; squirarchy. [Obs.] The flower of chivalry and squiry. Ld. Berbers.

SQUITCH GRASS Squitch" grass`. (Bot.)

Defn: Quitch grass.

SQUITEE Squi*tee", n. Etym: [From the N. American Indian name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The squeteague; — called also squit.

STAB Stab, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Stabbing.] Etym: [Cf. OD. staven to fix, fasten, fr. stave, staff, a staff, rod; akin to G. stab a staff, stick, E. staff; also Gael. stob to stab, as n., a stake, a stub. Cf. Staff.]

1. To pierce with a pointed weapon; to wound or kill by the thrust of a pointed instrument; as, to stab a man with a dagger; also, to thrust; as, to stab a dagger into a person.

2. Fig.: To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander; as, to stab a person's reputation.

STAB Stab, v. i.

1. To give a wound with a pointed weapon; to pierce; to thrust with a pointed weapon. None shall dare With shortened sword to stab in closer war. Dryden.

2. To wound or pain, as if with a pointed weapon. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs. Shak. To stab at, to offer or threaten to stab; to thrust a pointed weapon at.

STAB Stab, n.

1. The thrust of a pointed weapon.

2. A wound with a sharp-pointed weapon; as, to fall by the stab an assassin. Shak.

3. Fig.: An injury inflicted covertly or suddenly; as, a stab given to character.

STABAT MATER Sta"bat Ma"ter. Etym: [L., the mother was standing.]

Defn: A celebrated Latin hymn, beginning with these words, commemorating the sorrows of the mother of our Lord at the foot of the cross. It is read in the Mass of the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, and is sung by Catholics when making "the way of the cross" (Via Crucis). See Station, 7 (c).

STABBER Stab"ber, n.

1. One who, or that which, stabs; a privy murderer.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A small marline spike; a pricker.

STABBINGLY Stab"bing*ly, adv.

Defn: By stabbing; with intent to injure covertly. Bp. Parker.

STAB CULTURE Stab culture. (Bacteriol.)

Defn: A culture made by inoculating a solid medium, as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire. The growths are usually of characteristic form.

STABILIMENT Sta*bil"i*ment, n. Etym: [L. stabilimentum, fr.stabilire to make firm ir stable, fr. stabilis. See Stable, a.]

Defn: The act of making firm; firm support; establishment. [R.] Jer. taylor. They serve for stabiliment, propagation, and shade. Derham.

STABILITATE Sta*bil"i*tate, v. t. Etym: [LL. stabilitatus, p.p. of stabilitare to make stable.]

Defn: To make stable; to establish. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

STABILITY Sta*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. stabilitas; cf. F. stabilité. 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 Ant: fickleness, Ant: irresolution, or Ant: inconstancy; constancy; steadfastness; as, a man of little stability, or of unusual stability.

3. Fixedness; — as opposed to Ant: fluidity. Since fluidness and stability are contary qualities. Boyle.

Syn. — Steadiness; stableness; constancy; immovability; firmness.

STABLE Sta"ble, a. Etym: [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.

STABLE Sta"ble, v. t.

Defn: To fix; to establish. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STABLE Sta"ble, n. Etym: [OF. estable, F. étable, from L. stabulum, fr. stare to stand. See Stand, v. i.]

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

STABLE Sta"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stabled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stabling.]

Defn: To put or keep in a stable.

STABLE Sta"ble, v. i.

Defn: To dwell or lodge in a stable; to dwell in an inclosed place; to kennel. Milton.

STABLEBOY; STABLEMAN Sta"ble*boy`, Sta"ble*man, n.

Defn: A boy or man who attends in a stable; a groom; a hostler.

STABLENESS Sta"ble*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being stable, or firmly established; stability.

STABLER Sta"bler, n.

Defn: A stable keeper. De Foe.

STABLE STAND Sta"ble stand`. (O.Eng. Law)

Defn: The position of a man who is found at his standing in the forest, with a crossbow or a longbow bent, ready to shoot at a deer, or close by a tree with greyhounds in a leash ready to slip; — one of the four presumptions that a man intends stealing the king's deer. Wharton.

STABLING Sta"bling, n.

1. The act or practice of keeping horses and cattle in a stable.

2. A building, shed, or room for horses and cattle.

STABLISH Stab"lish, v. t. Etym: [Aphetic form of establish.]

Defn: To settle permanently in a state; to make firm; to establish; to fix. [Obs.] 2 Sam. vii. 13.

STABLISHMENT Stab"lish*ment, n.

Defn: Establishment. [Obs.]

STABLY Sta"bly, adv.

Defn: In a stable manner; firmly; fixedly; steadily; as, a government stably settled.

STABULATION Stab`u*la"tion, n. Etym: [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.]

STACCATO Stac*ca"to, a. Etym: [It., p.p. of staccere, equivalent to distaccare. See Detach.]

1. (Mus.)

Defn: Disconnected; separated; distinct; — a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.

2. Expressed in a brief, pointed manner. Staccato and peremptory [literary criticism]. G. Eliot.

STACK Stack, a. Etym: [Icel. stakkr; akin to Sw. stack, Dan. stak. Sf. Stake.]

1. A large pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, usually of a nearly conical form, but sometimes rectangular or oblong, contracted at the top to a point or ridge, and sometimes covered with thatch. But corn was housed, and beans were in the stack. Cowper.

2. A pile of poles or wood, indefinite in quantity. Against every pillar was a stack of billets above a man's height. Bacon.

3. A pile of wood containing 108 cubic feet. [Eng.]

4. (Arch.) (a) A number of flues embodied in one structure, rising above the roof. Hence: (b) Any single insulated and prominent structure, or upright pipe, which affords a conduit for smoke; as, the brick smokestack of a factory; the smokestack of a steam vessel. (Computer programming) (a) A section of memory in a computer used for temporary storage of data, in which the last datum stored is the first retrieved. (b) A data structure within random-access memory used to simulate a hardware stack, as, a push-down stack. Stack of arms (Mil.), a number of muskets or rifles set up together, with the bayonets crossing one another, forming a sort of conical self-supporting pile.

STACK Stack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Stacking.] Etym: [Cf. Sw. stacka, Dan. stakke. See Stack, n.]

Defn: To lay in a conical or other pile; to make into a large pile; as, to stack hay, cornstalks, or grain; to stack or place wood. To stack arms (Mil.), to set up a number of muskets or rifles together, with the bayonets crossing one another, and forming a sort of conical pile.

STACKAGE Stack"age, n.

1. Hay, gray, or the like, in stacks; things stacked. [R.]

2. A tax on things stacked. [R.] Holinshed.

STACKET Stack"et, n. Etym: [Cf. F. estacade and E. stockade.] (Mil.)

Defn: A stockade. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

STACK-GUARD Stack"-guard`, n.

Defn: A covering or protection, as a canvas, for a stack.

STACKING Stack"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Stack. Stacking band, Stacking belt, a band or rope used in binding thatch or straw upon a stack. — Stacking stage, a stage used in building stacks.

STACKSTAND Stack"stand`, n.

Defn: A staging for supporting a stack of hay or grain; a rickstand.

STACKYARD Stack"yard`, n.

Defn: A yard or inclosure for stacks of hay or grain. A. Smith.

STACTE Stac"te, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

Defn: One of the sweet spices used by the ancient Jews in the preparation of incense. It was perhaps an oil or other form of myrrh or cinnamon, or a kind of storax. Ex. xxx. 34.

STADDLE Stad"dle, n. Etym: [AS. stathol, srathul, a foundation, firm seat; akin to E. stand. *163. See Stand, v. i.] [Formerly written stadle.]

1. Anything which serves for support; a staff; a prop; a crutch; a cane. His weak steps governing And aged limbs on cypress stadle stout. Spenser.

2. The frame of a stack of hay or grain. [Eng.]

3. A row of dried or drying hay, etc. [Eng.]

4. A small tree of any kind, especially a forest tree.

Note: In America, trees are called staddles from the time that they are three or four years old till they are six or eight inches in diameter, or more. This is also the sense in which the word is used by Bacon and Tusser.

STADDLE Stad"dle, v. t.

1. To leave the staddles, or saplings, of, as a wood when it is cut. [R.] Tusser.

2. To form into staddles, as hay. [Eng.]

STADE Stade, n. Etym: [Cf. F. stade.]

Defn: A stadium. Donne.

STADE Stade, n. Etym: [Cf. G. gestade shore.]

Defn: A landing place or wharf. Knight.

STADIA HAIRS; STADIA WIRES Sta"di*a hairs or wires . (Surv.)

Defn: In a theodolite, etc., horizontal cross wires or hairs equidistant from the central horizontal cross wire.

STADIMETER Sta*dim"e*ter, n. Etym: [Stadium + -meter.]

Defn: A horizontal graduated bar mounted on a staff, used as a stadium, or telemeter, for measuring distances.

STADIUM Sta"di*um, n.; pl. Stadia. Etym: [L., a stadium (in sense 1), from Gr.

1. A Greek measure of length, being the chief one used for itinerary distances, also adopted by the Romans for nautical and astronomical measurements. It was equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or 125 Roman paces, or to 606 feet 9 inches English. This was also called the Olympic stadium, as being the exact length of the foot-race course at Olympia. Dr. W. Smith.

2. Hence, a race course; especially, the Olympic course for foot races.

3. A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends; especially (Surveying), a graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope; — also called stadia, and stadia rod.

STADTHOLDER Stadt"hold`er, n. Etym: [D. stadhouder; stad a city, a town + houder a holder.]

Defn: Formerly, the chief magistrate of the United Provinces of Holland; also, the governor or lieutenant governor of a province.

STADTHOLDERATE; STADTHOLDERSHIP Stadt"hold`er*ate, Stadt"hold`er*ship, n.

Defn: The office or position of a stadtholder.

STAFETTE Sta*fette", n. Etym: [Cf. G. stafette. See Estafet.]

Defn: An estafet. [R.] arlyle.

STAFF Staff, n.; pl. Staves ( or Staffs in senses 1-9, Staffs in senses 10, 11. Etym: [AS. stæf a staff; akin to LG. & D. staf, OFries stef, G. stab, Icel. stafr, Sw. staf, Dan. stav, Goth. stabs element, rudiment, Skr. sthapay to cause to stand, to place. See Stand, and cf. Stab, Stave, n.]

1. A long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument or weapon; a pole or srick, used for many purposes; as, a surveyor's staff; the staff of a spear or pike. And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar to bear it withal. Ex. xxxviii. 7. With forks and staves the felon to pursue. Dryden.

2. A stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. "Hooked staves." Piers Plowman. The boy was the very staff of my age. Shak. He spoke of it [beer] in "The Earnest Cry," and likewise in the "Scotch Drink," as one of the staffs of life which had been struck from the poor man's hand. Prof. Wilson.

3. A pole, stick, or wand borne as an ensign of authority; a badge of office; as, a constable's staff. Methought this staff, mine office badge in court, Was broke in twain. Shak. All his officers brake their staves; but at their return new staves were delivered unto them. Hayward.

4. A pole upon which a flag is supported and displayed.

5. The round of a ladder. [R.] I ascend at one [ladder] of six hundred and thirty-nine staves. Dr. J. Campbell (E. Brown's Travels).

6. A series of verses so disposed that, when it is concluded, the same order begins again; a stanza; a stave. Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for an heroic poem, as being all too lyrical. Dryden.

7. (Mus.)

Defn: The five lines and the spaces on which music is written; — formerly called stave.

8. (Mech.)

Defn: An arbor, as of a wheel or a pinion of a watch.

9. (Surg.)

Defn: The grooved director for the gorget, or knife, used in cutting for stone in the bladder.

10. Etym: [From Staff, 3, a badge of office.] (Mil.)

Defn: An establishment of officers in various departments attached to an army, to a section of an army, or to the commander of an army. The general's staff consists of those officers about his person who are employed in carrying his commands into execution. See État Major.

11. Hence: A body of assistants serving to carry into effect the plans of a superintendant or manager; as, the staff of a newspaper. Jacob's staff (Surv.), a single straight rod or staff, pointed and iron-shod at the bottom, for penetrating the ground, and having a socket joint at the top, used, instead of a tripod, for supporting a compass. — Staff angle (Arch.), a square rod of wood standing flush with the wall on each of its sides, at the external angles of plastering, to prevent their being damaged. — The staff of life, bread. "Bread is the staff of life." Swift. — Staff tree (Bot.), any plant of the genus Celastrus, mostly climbing shrubs of the northern hemisphere. The American species (C. scandens) is commonly called bittersweet. See 2d Bittersweet, 3 (b). — To set, or To put, up, or down, one's staff, to take up one's residence; to lodge. [Obs.]

STAFFIER Staf"fi*er, n.

Defn: An attendant bearing a staff. [Obs.] "Staffiers on foot." Hudibras.

STAFFISH Staff"ish, a.

Defn: Stiff; harsh. [Obs.] Ascham.

STAFFMAN Staff"man, n.; pl. Staffmen (.

Defn: A workman employed in silk throwing.

STAG Stag, n. Etym: [Icel. steggr the male of several animals; or a doubtful AS. stagga. Cf. Steg.]

1. (Zoöl.) (a) The adult male of the red deer (Cervus elaphus), a large European species closely related to the American elk, or wapiti. (b) The male of certain other species of large deer.

2. A colt, or filly; also, a romping girl. [Prov. Eng.]

3. A castrated bull; — called also bull stag, and bull seg. See the Note under Ox.

4. (Stock Exchange) (a) An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange. [Cant] (b) One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock. [Cant]

5. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European wren. [Prov. Eng.] Stag beetle (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of lamellicorn beetles belonging to Lucanus and allied genera, especially L. cervus of Europe and L. dama of the United States. The mandibles are large and branched, or forked, whence the name. The lava feeds on the rotten wood of dead trees. Called also horned bug, and horse beetle. — Stag dance, a dance by men only. [slang, U.S.] — Stag hog (Zoöl.), the babiroussa. — Stag-horn coral (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large branching corals of the genus Madrepora, which somewhat resemble the antlers of the stag, especially Madrepora cervicornis, and M. palmata, of Florida and the West Indies. — Stag-horn fern (Bot.), an Australian and West African fern (Platycerium alcicorne) having the large fronds branched like a stag's horns; also, any species of the same genus. — Stag-horn sumac (Bot.), a common American shrub (Rhus typhina) having densely velvety branchlets. See Sumac. — Stag party, a party consisting of men only. [Slang, U. S.] — Stag tick (Zoöl.), a parasitic dipterous insect of the family Hippoboscidæ, which lives upon the stag and in usually wingless. The same species lives also upon the European grouse, but in that case has wings.

STAG Stag, v. i. (Com.)

Defn: To act as a "stag", or irregular dealer in stocks. [Cant]

STAG Stag, v. t.

Defn: To watch; to dog, or keep track of. [Prov. Eng. or Slang] H. Kingsley.

STAGE Stage, n. Etym: [OF. estage, F. étage, (assumed) LL. staticum, from L. stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Static.]

1. A floor or story of a house. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. An elevated platform on which an orator may speak, a play be performed, an exhibition be presented, or the like.

3. A floor elevated for the convenience of mechanical work, or the like; a scaffold; a staging.

4. A platform, often floating, serving as a kind of wharf.

5. The floor for scenic performances; hence, the theater; the playhouse; hence, also, the profession of representing dramatic compositions; the drama, as acted or exhibited. Knights, squires, and steeds, must enter on the stage. Pope. Lo! Where the stage, the poor, degraded stage, Holds its warped mirror to a gaping age. C. Sprague.

6. A place where anything is publicly exhibited; the scene of any noted action or carrer; the spot where any remarkable affair occurs. When we are born, we cry that we are come To this stage of fools. Shak. Music and ethereal mirth Wherewith the stage of air and earth did ring. Miton.

7. The platform of a microscope, upon which an object is placed to be viewed. See Illust. of Microscope.

8. A place of rest on a regularly traveled road; a stage house; a station; a place appointed for a relay of horses.

9. A degree of advancement in a journey; one of several portions into which a road or course is marked off; the distance between two places of rest on a road; as, a stage of ten miles. A stage . . . signifies a certain distance on a road. Jeffrey. He traveled by gig, with his wife, his favorite horse performing the journey by easy stages. Smiles.

10. A degree of advancement in any pursuit, or of progress toward an end or result. Such a polity is suited only to a particular stage in the progress of society. Macaulay.

11. A large vehicle running from station to station for the accomodation of the public; a stagecoach; an omnibus. "A parcel sent you by the stage." Cowper. I went in the sixpenny stage. Swift.

12. (Biol.)

Defn: One of several marked phases or periods in the development and growth of many animals and plants; as, the larval stage; pupa stage; zoea stage. Stage box, a box close to the stage in a theater. — Stage carriage, a stagecoach. — Stage door, the actor's and workmen's entrance to a theater. — Stage lights, the lights by which the stage in a theater is illuminated. — Stage micrometer, a graduated device applied to the stage of a microscope for measuring the size of an object. — Stage wagon, a wagon which runs between two places for conveying passengers or goods. — Stage whisper, a loud whisper, as by an actor in a theater, supposed, for dramatic effect, to be unheard by one or more of his fellow actors, yet audible to the audience; an aside. stage of the game, [Colloq.] stage n. 10.

STAGE Stage, v. t.

Defn: To exhibit upon a stage, or as upon a stage; to display publicly. Shak.

STAGECOACH Stage"coach`, n.

Defn: A coach that runs regularly from one stage, station, or place to another, for the conveyance of passengers.

STAGECOACHMAN Stage"coach`man, n.; pl. Stagecoachmen (.

Defn: One who drives a stagecoach.

STAGE DIRECTOR Stage director. (Theat.)

Defn: One who prepares a play for production. He arranges the details of the stage settings, the business to be used, all stage effects, and instructs the actors, excepting usually the star, in the general interpretation of their parts.

STAGE FRIGHT Stage fright.

Defn: Nervousness felt before an audience.

STAGEHOUSE Stage"house`, n.

Defn: A house where a stage regularly stops for passengers or a relay of horses.

STAGELY Stage"ly, a.

Defn: Pertaining to a stage; becoming the theater; theatrical. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

STAGE MANAGER Stage manager. (Theat.)

Defn: One in control of the stage during the production of a play. He directs the stage hands, property man, etc., has charge of all details behind the curtain, except the acting, and has a general oversight of the actors. Sometimes he is also the stage director.

STAGEPLAY Stage"play`, n.

Defn: A dramatic or theatrical entertainment. Dryden.

STAGEPLAYER Stage"play`er, n.

Defn: An actor on the stage; one whose occupation is to represent characters on the stage; as, Garrick was a celebrated stageplayer.

STAGER Sta"ger, n.

1. A player. [R.] B. Jonson.

2. One who has long acted on the stage of life; a practitioner; a person of experience, or of skill derived from long experience. "You will find most of the old stagers still stationary there." Sir W. Scott.

3. A horse used in drawing a stage. [Colloq.]

STAGERY Sta"ger*y, n.

Defn: Exhibition on the stage. [Obs.]

STAGE-STRUCK Stage"-struck`, a.

Defn: Fascinated by the stage; seized by a passionate desire to become an actor.

STAG-EVIL Stag"-e`vil, n. (Far.)

Defn: A kind of palsy affecting the jaw of a horse. Crabb.

STAGGARD Stag"gard, n. Etym: [From Stag.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The male red deer when four years old.

STAGGER Stag"ger, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Staggered; p. pr. & vb. n. Staggering.] Etym: [OE. stakeren, Icel. stakra to push, to stagger, fr. staka to punt, push, stagger; cf. OD. staggeren to stagger. Cf. Stake, n.]

1. To move to one side and the other, as if about to fall, in standing or walking; not to stand or walk with steadiness; to sway; to reel or totter. Deep was the wound; he staggered with the blow. Dryden.

2. To cease to stand firm; to begin to give way; to fail. "The enemy staggers." Addison.

3. To begin to doubt and waver in purposes; to become less confident or determined; to hesitate. He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. Rom. iv. 20.

STAGGER Stag"ger, v. t.

1. To cause to reel or totter. That hand shall burn in never-quenching fire That staggers thus my person. Shak.

2. To cause to doubt and waver; to make to hesitate; to make less steady or confident; to shock. Whosoever will read the story of this war will find himself much stagered. Howell. Grants to the house of Russell were so enormous, as not only to outrage economy, but even to stagger credibility. Burke.

3. To arrange (a series of parts) on each side of a median line alternately, as the spokes of a wheel or the rivets of a boiler seam.

STAGGER Stag"ger, n.

1. An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing, as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion; vertigo; — often in the plural; as, the stagger of a drunken man.

2. pl. (Far.)

Defn: A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling; as, parasitic staggers; appopletic or sleepy staggers.

3. pl.

Defn: Bewilderment; perplexity. [R.] Shak. Stomach staggers (Far.), distention of the stomach with food or gas, resulting in indigestion, frequently in death.

STAGGERBUSH Stag"ger*bush`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: An American shrub (Andromeda Mariana) having clusters of nodding white flowers. It grows in low, sandy places, and is said to poison lambs and calves. Gray.

STAGGERINGLY Stag"ger*ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a staggering manner.

STAGGERWORT Stag"ger*wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of ragwort (Senecio Jacobæa).

STAG-HORN CORAL; STAG-HORN FERN Stag"-horn` co"ral, Stag"-horn` fern`, etc.

Defn: See under Stag.

STAG-HORNED Stag"-horned`, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the mandibles large and palmate, or branched somewhat like the antlers of a stag; — said of certain beetles.

STAGHOUND Stag"hound`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large and powerful hound formerly used in hunting the stag, the wolf, and other large animals. The breed is nearly extinct.

STAGING Sta"ging, n.

Defn: A structure of posts and boards for supporting workmen, etc., as in building.

2. The business of running stagecoaches; also, the act of journeying in stagecoaches.

STAGIRITE Stag"i*rite, n.

Defn: A native of, or resident in, Stagira, in ancient Macedonia; especially, Aristotle. [Written also Stagyrite.]

STAGNANCY Stag"nan*cy, n.

Defn: State of being stagnant.

STAGNANT Stag"nant, a. Etym: [L. stagnans, -antis, p.pr. of stagnare. See Stagnate.]

1. That stagnates; not flowing; not running in a current or steam; motionless; hence, impure or foul from want of motion; as, a stagnant lake or pond; stagnant blood in the veins.

2. Not active or brisk; dull; as, business in stagnant. That gloomy slumber of the stagnant soul. Johnson. For him a stagnant life was not worth living. Palfrey.

STAGNANTLY Stag"nant*ly, adv.

Defn: In a stagnant manner.

STAGNATE Stag"nate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stagnated; p. pr. & vb. n. Stagnating.] Etym: [L. stagnatus, p.p. of stagnare to stagnate, make stagnant, from stagnum a piece of standing water. See Stank a pool, and cf. Stanch, v. t.]

1. To cease to flow; to be motionless; as, blood stagnates in the veins of an animal; hence, to become impure or foul by want of motion; as, air stagnates in a close room.

2. To cease to be brisk or active; to become dull or inactive; as, commerce stagnates; business stagnates. Ready-witted tenderness . . . never stagnates in vain lamentations while there is any room for hope. Sir W. Scott.

STAGNATE Stag"nate, a.

Defn: Stagnant. [Obs.] "A stagnate mass of vapors." Young.

STAGNATION Stag*na"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. stagnation.]

1. The condition of being stagnant; cessation of flowing or circulation, as of a fluid; the state of being motionless; as, the stagnation of the blood; the stagnation of water or air; the stagnation of vapors.

2. The cessation of action, or of brisk action; the state of being dull; as, the stagnation of business.

STAGWORM Stag"worm, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The larve of any species of botfly which is parasitic upon the stag, as , which burrows beneath the skin, and Cephalomyia auribarbis, which lives in the nostrils.

STAGY Sta"gy, a. [Written also stagey.]

Defn: Having an air or manner characteristic of the stage; theatrical; artificial; as, a stagy tone or bearing; —chiefly used depreciatively.

STAHLIAN Stahl"ian, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or taught by, Stahl, a German physician and chemist of the 17th century; as, the Stahlian theory of phlogiston.

STAHLIAN Stahl"ian, n.

Defn: A believer in, or advocate of, Stahlism.

STAHLISM; STAHLIANISM Stahl"ism, Stahl"ian*ism, n.

Defn: The Stahlian theoru, that every vital action is function or operation of the soul.

STAID Staid,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Stay.

STAID Staid, a. Etym: [From Stay to stop.]

Defn: Sober; grave; steady; sedate; composed; regular; not wild, volatile, or fanciful. "Sober and staid persons." Addison. O'erlaid with black, staid Wisdom's hue. Milton.

Syn. — Sober; grave; steady; steadfast; composed; regular; sedate.

STAIDLY Staid"ly, adv.

Defn: In a staid manner, sedately.

STAIDNESS Staid"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being staid; seriousness; steadiness; sedateness; regularity; — the opposite of wildness, or Ant: levity. If sometimes he appears too gray, yet a secret gracefulness of youth accompanies his writings, though the staidness and sobriety of age wanting. Dryden.

Syn. — Sobriety; gravity; steadiness; regularity; constancy; firmness; stability; sedateness.

STAIL Stail, n.

Defn: A handle, as of a mop; a stale. [Eng.]

STAIN Stain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stained; p. pr. & vb. n. Staining.] Etym: [Abbrev. fr. distain.]

1. To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; armor stained with blood.

2. To color, as wood, glass, paper, cloth, or the like, by processess affecting, chemically or otherwise, the material itself; to tinge with a color or colors combining with, or penetrating, the substance; to dye; as, to stain wood with acids, colored washes, paint rubbed in, etc.; to stain glass.

3. To spot with guilt or infamy; to bring reproach on; to blot; to soil; to tarnish. Of honor void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity, Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained. Milton.

4. To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison. She stains the ripest virgins of her age. Beau. & Fl. That did all other beasts in beauty stain. Spenser. Stained glass, glass colored or stained by certain metallic pigments fused into its substance, — often used for making ornament windows.

Syn. — To paint; dye; blot; soil; sully; discolor; disgrace; taint. — Paint, Stain, Dye. These denote three different processes; the first mechanical, the other two, chiefly chemical. To paint a thing is so spread a coat of coloring matter over it; to stain or dye a thing is to impart color to its substance. To stain is said chiefly of solids, as wood, glass, paper; to dye, of fibrous substances, textile fabrics, etc.; the one, commonly, a simple process, as applying a wash; the other more complex, as fixing colors by mordants.

STAIN Stain, v. i.

Defn: To give or receive a stain; to grow dim.

STAIN Stain, n.

1. A discoloration by foreign matter; a spot; as, a stain on a garment or cloth. Shak.

2. A natural spot of a color different from the gound. Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains. Pope.

3. Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach. Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains. Dryden. Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or stain of heresy. Hooker.

4. Cause of reproach; shame. Sir P. Sidney.

5. A tincture; a tinge. [R.] You have some stain of soldier in you. Shak.

Syn. — Blot; spot; taint; pollution; blemish; tarnish; color; disgrace; infamy; shame.

STAINER Stain"er, n.

1. One who stains or tarnishes.

2. A workman who stains; as, a stainer of wood.

STAINLESS Stain"less, a.

Defn: Free from stain; immaculate. Shak. The veery care he took to keep his name Stainless, with some was evidence of shame. Crabbe.

Syn. — Blameless; spotless; faultless. See Blameless.

STAINLESSLY Stain"less*ly, adv.

Defn: In a stainless manner.

STAIR Stair, n. Etym: [OE. steir, steyer, AS. st, from to ascend, rise. sq. root164. See Sty to ascend.]

1. One step of a series for ascending or descending to a different level; — commonly applied to those within a building.

2. A series of steps, as for passing from one story of a house to another; — commonly used in the plural; but originally used in the singular only. "I a winding stair found." Chaucer's Dream. Below stairs, in the basement or lower part of a house, where the servants are. — Flight of stairs, the stairs which make the whole ascent of a story. — Pair of stairs, a set or flight of stairs. — pair, in this phrase, having its old meaning of a set. See Pair, n., 1. — Run of stars (Arch.), a single set of stairs, or section of a stairway, from one platform to the next. — Stair rod, a rod, usually of metal, for holding a stair carpet to its place. — Up stairs. See Upstairs in the Vocabulary.

STAIRCASE Stair"case`, n.

Defn: A flight of stairs with their supporting framework, casing, balusters, etc. To make a complete staircase is a curious piece of architecture. Sir H. Wotton. Staircase shell. (Zoöl.) (a) Any scalaria, or wentletrap. (b) Any species of Solarium, or perspective shell.

STAIRHEAD Stair"head`, n.

Defn: The head or top of a staircase.

STAIRWAY Stair"way`, n.

Defn: A flight of stairs or steps; a staircase. "A rude and narrow stairway." Moore.

STAITH Staith, n. Etym: [AS. stæ a bank, shore, from the root of E. stead.]

Defn: A landing place; an elevated staging upon a wharf for discharging coal, etc., as from railway cars, into vessels.

STAITHMAN Staith"man, n.

Defn: A man employed in weighing and shipping at a staith. [Eng.]

STAKE Stake, n. Etym: [AS. staca, from the root of E. stick; akin to OFries. & LG. stake, D. staak, Sw. stake, Dan. stage. See Stick, v. t., and cf. Estacade, Stockade.]

1. A piece of wood, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a support or stay; as, a stake to support vines, fences, hedges, etc. A sharpened stake strong Dryas found. Dryden.

2. A stick inserted upright in a lop, eye, or mortise, at the side or end of a cart, a flat car, or the like, to prevent goods from falling off.

3. The piece of timber to which a martyr was affixed to be burned; hence, martyrdom by fire.

4. A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, — used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching upon, etc.

5. That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge. At stake, in danger; hazarded; pledged. "I see my reputation is at stake." Shak.

STAKE Stake, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Staked; p. pr. & vb. n. Staking.]

1. To fasten, support, or defend with stakes; as, to stake vines or plants.

2. To mark the limits of by stakes; — with out; as, to stake out land; to stake out a new road.

3. To put at hazard upon the issue of competition, or upon a future contingency; to wager; to pledge. I'll stake yon lamb, that near the fountain plays. Pope.

4. To pierce or wound with a stake. Spectator.

STAKE-DRIVER Stake"-driv`er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The common American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus); — so called because one of its notes resembles the sound made in driving a stake into the mud. Called also meadow hen, and Indian hen.

STAKEHEAD Stake"head`, n. (Rope making)

Defn: A horizontal bar on a stake, used for supporting the yarns which are kept apart by pins in the bar.

STAKEHOLDER Stake"hold`er, n.

Defn: The holder of a stake; one with whom the bets are deposited when a wager is laid.

STAKTOMETER Stak*tom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.]

Defn: A drop measurer; a glass tube tapering to a small orifice at the point, and having a bulb in the middle, used for finding the number of drops in equal quantities of different liquids. See Pipette. Sir D. Brewster.

STAL Stal, obs. imp. of Steal.

Defn: Stole.

STALACTIC; STALACTICAL Sta*lac"tic, Sta*lac"tic*al, a. (Geol.)

Defn: Stalactic.

STALACTIFORM Sta*lac"ti*form, a.

Defn: Like a stalactite; resembling a stalactite.

STALACTITE Sta*lac"tite, n.; pl. Stalactites. Etym: [Gr. stalactite.] (Geol.) (a) A pendent cone or cylinder of calcium carbonate resembling an icicle in form and mode of attachment. Stalactites are found depending from the roof or sides of caverns, and are produced by deposition from waters which have percolated through, and partially dissolved, the overlying limestone rocks. (b) In an extended sense, any mineral or rock of similar form and origin; as, a stalactite of lava.

STALACTITES Stal`ac*ti"tes, n. Etym: [NL.]

Defn: A stalactite. [Obs.] Woodward.

STALACTITIC; STALACTITICAL Stal`ac*tit"ic, Stal`ac*tit"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. stalactitique.] (Geol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a stalactite; having the form or characters of a stalactite; stalactic.

STALACTITIFORM Stal`ac*tit"i*form, a.

Defn: Having the form of a stalactite; stalactiform.

STALAGMITE Sta*lag"mite, n. Etym: [Gr. stalagmite.] (Geol.)

Defn: A deposit more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed by calcareous water dropping on the floors of caverns; hence, a similar deposit of other material.

STALAGMITIC; STALAGMITICAL Stal`ag*mit"ic, Stal`ag*mit"ic*al, a.

Defn: Having the form or structure of stalagmites. — Stal`ag*mit"ic*al*ly, adv.

STALDER Stal"der, n. Etym: [From the root of stall.]

Defn: A wooden frame to set casks on. [Prov. Eng.]

STALE Stale, n. Etym: [OE. stale, stele, AS. stæl, stel; akin to LG. & D. steel, G. stiel; cf. L. stilus stake, stalk, stem, Gr. stall, stalk, n.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Akin to D. & G. stallen, Dan. stalle, Sw. stalla, and E. stall a stable. Stall, n., and cf. Stale, a.]

Defn: To make water; to discharge urine; — said especially of horses and cattle. Hudibras.

STALE Stale, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [Cf. OF. estal place, position, abode, market, F. étal 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)

Defn: A stalemate. [Obs.] Bacon.

4. A laughingstock; a dupe. [Obs.] Shak.

STALELY Stale"ly, adv.

1. In a state stale manner.

2. Of old; long since. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

STALEMATE Stale"mate`, n. (Chess)

Defn: The position of the king when he can not move without being placed on check and there is no other piece which can be moved.

STALEMATE Stale"mate`, v. t. (Chess)

Defn: To subject to a stalemate; hence, to bring to a stand.

STALENESS Stale"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being stale.

STALK Stalk, n. Etym: [OE. stalke, fr. AS. stæl, stel, a stalk. See Stale a handle, Stall.]

1. (Bot.) (a) The stem or main axis of a plant; as, a stalk of wheat, rye, or oats; the stalks of maize or hemp. (b) The petiole, pedicel, or peduncle, of a plant.

2. That which resembes the stalk of a plant, as the stem of a quill. Grew.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: An ornament in the Corinthian capital resembling the stalk of a plant, from which the volutes and helices spring.

4. One of the two upright pieces of a ladder. [Obs.] To climd by the rungs and the stalks. Chaucer.

5. (Zoöl.) (a) A stem or peduncle, as of certain barnacles and crinoids. (b) The narrow basal portion of the abdomen of a hymenopterous insect. (c) The peduncle of the eyes of decapod crustaceans.

6. (Founding)

Defn: An iron bar with projections inserted in a core to strengthen it; a core arbor. Stalk borer (Zoöl.), the larva of a noctuid moth (Gortyna nitela), which bores in the stalks of the raspberry, strawberry, tomato, asters, and many other garden plants, often doing much injury.

STALK Stalk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stalked; p. pr. & vb. n. Stalking.] Etym: [AS. stælcan, stealcian to go slowly; cf. stels high, elevated, Dan. stalke to stalk; probably akin to 1st stalk.]

1. To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner; — sometimes used with a reflexive pronoun. Shak. Into the chamber he stalked him full still. Chaucer. [Bertran] stalks close behind her, like a witch's fiend, Pressing to be employed. Dryden.

2. To walk behind something as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under clover. The king . . . crept under the shoulder of his led horse; . . . "I must stalk," said he. Bacon. One underneath his horse, to get a shoot doth stalk. Drayton.

3. To walk with high and proud steps; usually implying the affectation of dignity, and indicating dislike. The word is used, however, especially by the poets, to express dignity of step. With manly mien he stalked along the ground. Dryden. Then stalking through the deep, He fords the ocean. Addison. I forbear myself from entering the lists in which he has long stalked alone and unchallenged. Mericale.

STALK Stalk, v. t.

Defn: To approach under cover of a screen, or by stealth, for the purpose of killing, as game. As for shooting a man from behind a wall, it is cruelly like to stalking a deer. Sir W. Scott.

STALK Stalk, n.

Defn: A high, proud, stately step or walk. Thus twice before, . . . With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch. Shak. The which with monstrous stalk behind him stepped. Spenser.

STALKED Stalked, a.

Defn: Having a stalk or stem; borne upon a stem. Stalked barnacle (Zoöl.), a goose barnacle, or anatifer; — called also stalk barnacle. — Stalked crinoid (Zoöl.), any crinoid having a jointed stem.

STALKER Stalk"er, n.

1. One who stalks.

2. A kind of fishing net.

STALK-EYED Stalk"-eyed`, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having the eyes raised on a stalk, or peduncle; — opposed to sessile-eyed. Said especially of podophthalmous crustaceans. Stalked- eyed crustaceans. (Zoöl.) See Podophthalmia.

STALKING-HORSE Stalk"ing-horse, n.

1. A horse, or a figure resembling a horse, behind which a hunter conceals himself from the game he is aiming to kill.

2. Fig.: Something used to cover up a secret project; a mask; a pretense. Hypocrisy is the devil's stalking-horse under an affectation of simplicity and religion. L'Estrange. How much more abominable is it to make of him [Christ] and religion a stalking-horse, to get and enjoy the world! Bunyan.

STALKLESS Stalk"less, a.

Defn: Having no stalk.

STALKY Stalk"y, a.

Defn: Hard as a stalk; resembling a stalk. At the top [it] bears a great stalky head. Mortimer.

STALL Stall, n. Etym: [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. stand. 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)

Defn: 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.

STALL Stall, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stalling.] Etym: [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.

STALL Stall, v. i. Etym: [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.]

STALLAGE Stall"age, n. Etym: [Cf. OF.estallange, of German origin. See Stall, n. ]

1. (Eng. Law)

Defn: The right of erecting a stalls in fairs; rent paid for a stall.

2. Dung of cattle or horses, mixed with straw. [Obs.]

STALLATION Stal*la"tion, n.

Defn: Installation. [Obs.]

STALLED Stalled, a.

Defn: Put or kept in a stall; hence, fatted. "A stalled ox." Prov. xv. 17.

STALLER Stall"er, n.

Defn: A standard bearer. obtaining Fuller.

STALL-FEED Stall"-feed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stall-fed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Stall- feeding.]

Defn: To feed and fatten in a stall or on dry fodder; as, to stall- feed an ox.

STALLING Stall"ing, n.

Defn: Stabling. Tennyson.

STALLION Stal"lion, n. Etym: [OE. stalon, OF. estalon, F. étalon, fr. OHG. stal a stable. See Stall, n.]

Defn: A male horse not castrated; a male horse kept for breeding.

STALLMAN Stall"man, n.; pl. Stallmen (.

Defn: One who keeps a stall for the sale of merchandise, especially books. Sterne.

STALLON Stal"lon, n.

Defn: A slip from a plant; a scion; a cutting. [R.] Holished.

STALWART; STALWORTH Stal"wart, Stal"worth, a. Etym: [OE. stalworth, AS. stælwyrth serviceable, probably originally, good at stealing, or worth stealing or taking, and afterwards extended to other causes of estimation. See Steal, v. t., Worth, a.]

Defn: Brave; bold; strong; redoubted; daring; vehement; violent. "A stalwart tiller of the soil." Prof. Wilson. Fair man be was and wise, stalworth and bold. R. of Brunne.

Note: Stalworth is now disused, or bur little used, stalwart having taken its place.

STALWARTLY Stal"wart*ly, adv.

Defn: In a stalwart manner.

STALWARTNESS Stal"wart*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being stalwart.

STALWORTHHOOD; STALWORTHNESS Stal"worth*hood, Stal"worth*ness (, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being stalworth; stalwartness; boldness; daring. [Obs.]

STAMEN Sta"men, n.; pl. E. Stamens (used only in the second sense); L. Stamina (in the first sense). Etym: [L. stamen the warp, a thread, fiber, akin to Gr. stand. See Stand, and cf. Stamin, Stamina.]

1. A thread; especially, a warp thread.

2. (pl. Stamens, rarely Stamina.) (Bot.)

Defn: The male organ of flowers for secreting and furnishing the pollen or fecundating dust. It consists of the anther and filament.

STAMENED Sta"mened, a.

Defn: Furnished with stamens.

STAMIN Sta"min, n. Etym: [OF. estamine, F. étamine, LL. staminea, stamineum, fr. L. stamineus consisting of threads, fr. stamen a thread. See Stamen, and cf. Stamineous, 2d Stammel, Tamine.]

Defn: A kind of woolen cloth. [Written also stamine.] [Obs.]

STAMINA Stam"i*na, n. pl.

Defn: See Stamen.

STAMINA Stam"i*na, n. pl.

1. The fixed, firm part of a body, which supports it or gives it strength and solidity; as, the bones are the stamina of animal bodies; the ligneous parts of trees are the stamina which constitute their strength.

2. Whatever constitutes the principal strength or support of anything; power of endurance; backbone; vigor; as, the stamina of a constitution or of life; the stamina of a State. He succeeded to great captains who had sapped the whole stamina and resistance of the contest. De Quincey.

STAMINAL Stam"i*nal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. staminal.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to stamens or stamina; consisting in stamens.

STAMINATE Stam"i*nate, a. Etym: [L. staminatus consisting of threads, fr. stamen thread: cf. F. staminé.] (Bot.) (a) Furnished with stamens; producing stamens. (b) Having stamens, but lacking pistils.

STAMINATE Stam"i*nate, v. t.

Defn: To indue with stamina. [R.]

STAMINEAL; STAMINEOUS Sta*min"e*al, Sta*min"e*ous, a. Etym: [L. stamineus, from stamen thread.]

1. Consisting of stamens or threads.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the stamens; possessing stamens; also, attached to the stamens; as, a stamineous nectary.

STAMINIFEROUS Stam`i*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Stamen + -ferous.]

Defn: Bearing or having stamens.

STAMINODE Stam"i*node, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A staminodium.

STAMINODIUM Stam`i*no"di*um, n.; pl. Staminodia. Etym: [NL. See Stamen, and - oid.] (Bot.)

Defn: An abortive stamen, or any organ modified from an abortive stamen.

STAMMEL Stam"mel, n.

Defn: A large, clumsy horse. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

STAMMEL Stam"mel, n. Etym: [OF. estamel; cf. OF. estamet a coarse woolen cloth, LL. stameta a kind of cloth, the same as staminea, and OF. estame a woolen stuff. See Stamin.]

1. A kind of woolen cloth formerly in use. It seems to have been often of a red color. [Obs.]

2. A red dye, used in England in the 15th and 16th centuries. B. Jonson.

STAMMEL Stam"mel, a.

Defn: Of the color of stammel; having a red color, thought inferior to scarlet.

STAMMER Stam"mer, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stammered; p. pr. & vb. n. Stammering.] Etym: [OE. stameren, fr. AS. stamur, stamer, stammering; akin to D. & LG. stameren to stammer, G. stammeln, OHG. stammal, stamm, Dan. stamme, Sw. stamma, Icel. stama, stamma, OHG. & Dan. stam stammering, Icel. stamr, Goth. stamms, and to G. stemmen to bear against, stumm dumb, D. stom. Cf. Stem to resist, Stumble.]

Defn: To make involuntary stops in uttering syllables or words; to hesitate or falter in speaking; to speak with stops and diffivulty; to stutter. I would thou couldst stammer, that thou mightest pour this conclead man out of thy mouth, as wine comes out of a narrow-mouthed bottle, either too much at once, or none at all. Shak.

STAMMER Stam"mer, v. t.

Defn: To utter or pronounce with hesitation or imperfectly; — sometimes with out.

STAMMER Stam"mer, n.

Defn: Defective utterance, or involuntary interruption of utterance; a stutter.

STAMMERER Stam"mer*er, n.

Defn: One who stammers.

STAMMERING Stam"mer*ing, a.

Defn: Apt to stammer; hesitating in speech; stuttering. — Stam"mer*ing*ly, adv.

STAMMERING Stam"mer*ing, n. (Physiol.)

Defn: A disturbance in the formation of sounds. It is due essentially to long-continued spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm, by which expiration is preented, and hence it may be considered as a spasmodic inspiration.

STAMP Stamp v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stamped; p. pr. & vb. n. Stamping.] Etym: [OE. stampen; akin to LG. & D. stampen, G. stampfen, OHG. stanpf, Dan. stampe, Sw. stampa, Icel. stappa, G. stampf a pestle and E. step. See Step, v. i., and cf. Stampede.]

1. To strike beat, or press forcibly with the bottom of the foot, or by thrusting the foot downward. Shak. He frets, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground. Dryden.

2. To bring down (the foot) forcibly on the ground or floor; as, he stamped his foot with rage.

3. To crush; to pulverize; specifically (Metal.), to crush by the blow of a heavy stamp, as ore in a mill. I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small. Deut. ix. 21.

4. To impress with some mark or figure; as, to stamp a plate with arms or initials.

5. Fig.: To impress; to imprint; to fix deeply; as, to stamp virtuous principles on the heart. God . . . has stamped no original characters on our minds wherein we may read his being. Locke.

6. To cut out, bend, or indent, as paper, sheet metal, etc., into various forms, by a blow or suddenly applied pressure with a stamp or die, etc.; to mint; to coin.

7. To put a stamp on, as for postage; as, to stamp a letter; to stamp a legal document. To stamp out, to put an end to by sudden and energetic action; to extinguish; as, to stamp out a rebellion.

STAMP Stamp, v. i.

1. To strike; to beat; to crush. These cooks how they stamp and strain and grind. Chaucer.

2. To strike the foot forcibly downward. But starts, exclaims, and stamps, and raves, and dies. dennis.

STAMP Stamp, n.

1. The act of stamping, as with the foot.

2. The which stamps; any instrument for making impressions on other bodies, as a die. 'T is gold so pure It can not bear the stamp without alloy. Dryden.

3. The mark made by stamping; a mark imprinted; an impression. That sacred name gives ornament and grace, And, like his stamp, makes basest metals pass. Dryden.

4. that which is marked; a thing stamped. hanging a golden stamp about their necks. Shak.

5. Etym: [F. estampe, of german origin. See Stamp, v. t.]

Defn: A picture cut in wood or metal, or made by impression; a cut; a plate. [Obs.] At Venice they put out very curious stamps of the several edifices which are most famous for their beauty and magnificence. Addison.

6. An offical mark set upon things chargeable with a duty or tax to government, as evidence that the duty or tax is paid; as, the stamp on a bill of exchange.

7. Hence, a stamped or printed device, issued by the government at a fixed price, and required by law to be affixed to, or stamped on, certain papers, as evidence that the government dues are paid; as, a postage stamp; a receipt stamp, etc.

8. An instrument for cutting out, or shaping, materials, as paper, leather, etc., by a downward pressure.

9. A character or reputation, good or bad, fixed on anything as if by an imprinted mark; current value; authority; as, these persons have the stamp of dishonesty; the Scriptures bear the stamp of a divine origin. Of the same stamp is that which is obtruded on us, that an adamant suspends the attraction of the loadstone. Sir T. Browne.

10. Make; cast; form; character; as, a man of the same stamp, or of a different stamp. A soldier of this season's stamp. Shak.

11. A kind of heavy hammer, or pestle, raised by water or steam power, for beating ores to powder; anything like a pestle, used for pounding or bathing.

12. A half-penny. [Obs.] au. & Fl.

13. pl.

Defn: Money, esp. paper money. [Slang, U.S.] Stamp act, an act of the British Parliament [1765] imposing a duty on all paper, vellum, and parchment used in the American colonies, and declaring all writings on unstamped materials to be null an void. — Stamp collector, an officer who receives or collects stamp duties; one who collects postage or other stamps. — Stamp duty, a duty, or tax, imposed on paper and parchment used for certain writings, as deeds, conveyances, etc., the evidence of the payment of the duty or tax being a stamp. [Eng.] — Stamp hammer, a hammer, worked by power, which rises and falls vertically, like a stamp in a stamp mill. — Stamp head, a heavy mass of metal, forming the head or lower end of a bar, which is lifted and let fall, in a stamp mill. — Stamp mill (Mining), a mill in which ore is crushed with stamps; also, a machine for stamping ore. — Stamp note, a stamped certificate from a customhouse officer, which allows goods to be received by the captain of a ship as freight. [Eng.] — Stamp office, an office for the issue of stamps and the reception of stamp duties.

STAMPEDE Stam*pede", n. Etym: [Sp. estampida (in America) a stampede, estampido a crackling, akin to estampar to stamp, of German origin. See Stamp, v. t.]

Defn: A wild, headlong scamper, or running away, of a number of animals; usually caused by fright; hence, any sudden flight or dispersion, as of a crowd or an army in consequence of a panic. She and her husband would join in the general stampede. W. Black.

STAMPEDE Stam*pede", v. i.

Defn: To run away in a panic; — said droves of cattle, horses, etc., also of armies.

STAMPEDE Stam*pede", v. t.

Defn: To disperse by causing sudden fright, as a herd or drove of animals.

STAMPER Stamp"er, n.

1. One who stamps.

2. An instrument for pounding or stamping.

STAMPING Stamp"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Stamp, v. Stamping ground, a place frequented, and much trodden, by animals, wild or domesticated; hence (Colloq.), the scene of one's labors or exploits; also, one's favorite resort. [U.S.] — Stamping machine, a machine for forming metallic articles or impressions by stamping. — Stamping mill (Mining), a stamp mill.

STANCE Stance, n. Etym: [OF. estance. See Stanza.]

1. A stanza. [Obs.] Chapman.

2. A station; a position; a site. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

STANCH Stanch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stanched; p. pr. & vb. n. Stanching.] Etym: [OF. estanchier, F. étancher to stpo a liquid from flowing; akin to Pr., Sp., & Pg. estancar, It. stancare to weary, LL. stancare, stagnare, to stanch, fr. L. stagnare to be or make stagnant. See Stagnate.]

1. To stop the flowing of, as blood; to check; also, to stop the flowing of blood from; as, to stanch a wound. [Written also staunch.] Iron or a stone laid to the neck doth stanch the bleeding of the nose. Bacon.

2. To extinguish; to quench, as fire or thirst. [Obs.]

STANCH Stanch, v. i.

Defn: To cease, as the flowing of blood. Immediately her issue of blood stanched. Luke viii. 44.

STANCH Stanch, n.

1. That which stanches or checks. [Obs.]

2. A flood gate by which water is accumulated, for floating a boat over a shallow part of a stream by its release. Knight.

STANCH Stanch, a. [Compar. Stancher; superl. Stanchest.] Etym: [From Stanch, v. t., and hence literally signifying, stopped or stayed; cf. Sp. estanco stopped, tight, not leaky, as a ship. See Stanch, v. t.] [Written also staunch.]

1. Strong and tight; sound; firm; as, a stanch ship. One of the closets is parqueted with plain deal, set in diamond, exceeding stanch and pretty. Evelyn.

2. Firm in principle; constant and zealous; loyal; hearty; steady; steadfast; as, a stanch churchman; a stanch friend or adherent. V. Knox. In politics I hear you 're stanch. Prior.

3. Close; secret; private. [Obs.] This to be kept stanch. Locke.

STANCH Stanch, v. t.

Defn: To prop; to make stanch, or strong. His gathered sticks to stanch the wall Of the snow tower when snow should fall. Emerson.

STANCHEL Stan"chel, n.

Defn: A stanchion.

STANCHER Stanch"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, stanches, or stops, the flowing, as of blood.

STANCHION Stan"chion, n. Etym: [OF. estanson, estançon, F. étançon, from OF. estance a stay, a prop, from L. stans, stantis, standing, p.pr. of stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Stanza.] [Written also stanchel.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A prop or support; a piece of timber in the form of a stake or post, used for a support or stay.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: Any upright post or beam used as a support, as for the deck, the quarter rails, awnings, etc.

3. A vertical bar for confining cattle in a stall.

STANCHLESS Stanch"less, a.

1. Incapable of being stanched, or stopped.

2. Unquenchable; insatiable. [Obs.] Shak.

STANCHLY Stanch"ly, adv.

Defn: In a stanch manner.

STANCHNESS Stanch"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being stanch.

STAND Stand, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stood; p. pr. & vb. n. Standing.] Etym: [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, stan, D. staan, OS. standan, stan, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae, Sw. stå, Goth. standan, Russ. stoiate, L. stare, Gr. stha. *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.)

Defn: 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.

STAND Stand, v. t.

1. To endure; to sustain; to bear; as, I can not stand the cold or the heat.

2. To resist, without yielding or receding; to withstand. "Love stood the siege." Dryden. He stood the furious foe. Pope.

3. To abide by; to submit to; to suffer. Bid him disband his legions, . . . And stand the judgment of a Roman senate. Addison.

4. To set upright; to cause to stand; as, to stand a book on the shelf; to stand a man on his feet.

5. To be at the expense of; to pay for; as, to stand a treat. [Colloq.] Tackeray. To stand fire, to receive the fire of arms from an enemy without giving way. — To stand one's ground, to keep the ground or station one has taken; to maintain one's position. "Pleasants and burghers, however brave, are unable to stand their ground against veteran soldiers." Macaulay. — To stand trial, to sustain the trial or examination of a cause; not to give up without trial.

STAND Stand, n. Etym: [As. stand. See Stand, v. i.]

1. The act of standing. I took my stand upon an eminence . . . to look into thier several ladings. Spectator.

2. A halt or stop for the purpose of defense, resistance, or opposition; as, to come to, or to make, a stand. Vice is at stand, and at the highest flow. Dryden.

3. A place or post where one stands; a place where one may stand while observing or waiting for something. I have found you out a stand most fit, Where you may have such vantage on the duke, He shall not pass you. Shak.

4. A station in a city or town where carriages or wagons stand for hire; as, a cab stand. Dickens.

5. A raised platform or station where a race or other outdoor spectacle may be viewed; as, the judge's or the grand stand at a race course.

6. A small table; also, something on or in which anything may be laid, hung, or placed upright; as, a hat stand; an umbrella stand; a music stand.

7. A place where a witness stands to testify in court.

8. The situation of a shop, store, hotel, etc.; as, a good, bad, or convenient stand for business. [U. S.]

9. Rank; post; station; standing. Father, since your fortune did attain So high a stand, I mean not to descend. Daniel.

10. A state of perplexity or embarrassment; as, to be at a stand what to do. L'Estrange.

11. A young tree, usually reserved when other trees are cut; also, a tree growing or standing upon its own root, in distinction from one produced from a scion set in a stock, either of the same or another kind of tree.

12. (Com.)

Defn: A weight of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds, — used in weighing pitch. Microscope stand, the instrument, excepting the eyepiece, objective, and other removable optical parts. — Stand of ammunition, the projectile, cartridge, and sabot connected together. — Stand of arms. (Mil.) See under Arms. — Stand of colors (Mil.), a single color, or flag. Wilhelm (Mil. Dict.) — To be at a stand, to be stationary or motionless; to be at a standstill; hence, to be perplexed; to be embarrassed. — To make a stand, to halt for the purpose of offering resistance to a pursuing enemy.

Syn. — Stop; halt; rest; interruption; obstruction; perplexity; difficulty; embarrassment; hesitation.

STANDAGE Stand"age, n. (Mining)

Defn: A reservior in which water accumulates at the bottom of a mine.

STANDARD Stand"ard, n. Etym: [OF. estendart, F. étendard, probably fr. L. extendere to spread out, extend, but influenced by E. stand. See Extend.]

1. A flag; colors; a banner; especially, a national or other ensign. His armies, in the following day, On those fair plains their standards proud display. Fairfax.

2. That which is established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, extent, value, or quality; esp., the original specimen weight or measure sanctioned by government, as the standard pound, gallon, or yard.

3. That which is established as a rule or model by authority, custom, or general consent; criterion; test. The court, which used to be the standard of property and correctness of speech. Swift. A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman. Burke.

4. (Coinage)

Defn: The proportion of weights of fine metal and alloy established by authority. By the present standard of the coinage, sixty-two shillings is coined out of one pound weight of silver. Arbuthnot.

5. (Hort.)

Defn: A tree of natural size supported by its own stem, and not dwarfed by grafting on the stock of a smaller species nor trained upon a wall or trellis. In France part of their gardens is laid out for flowers, others for fruits; some standards, some against walls. Sir W. Temple.

6. (Bot.)

Defn: The upper petal or banner of a papilionaceous corolla.

7. (Mech. & Carp.)

Defn: An upright support, as one of the poles of a scaffold; any upright in framing.

8. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: An inverted knee timber placed upon the deck instead of beneath it, with its vertical branch turned upward from that which lies horizontally.

9. The sheth of a plow.

10. A large drinking cup. Greene. Standard bearer, an officer of an army, company, or troop, who bears a standard; — commonly called color sergeantor color bearer; hence, the leader of any organization; as, the standard bearer of a political party.

STANDARD Stand"ard, a.

1. Being, affording, or according with, a standard for comparison and judgment; as, standard time; standard weights and measures; a standard authority as to nautical terms; standard gold or silver.

2. Hence: Having a recognized and permanent value; as, standard works in history; standard authors.

3. (Hort.) (a) Not supported by, or fastened to, a wall; as, standard fruit trees. (b) Not of the dwarf kind; as, a standard pear tree. Standard candle, Standard gauge. See under Candle, and Gauge. — Standard solution. (Chem.) See Standardized solution, under Solution.

STANDARD-BRED Stand"ard-bred`, a.

Defn: Bred in conformity to a standard. Specif., applied to a registered trotting horse which comes up to the standard adopted by the National Association of Trotting-horse Breeders. [U. S.]

STANDARDIZE Stand"ard*ize, v. t. (Chem.)

Defn: To reduce to a normal standard; to calculate or adjust the strength of, by means of, and for uses in, analysis.

STANDARD-WING Stand"ard-wing`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A curious paradise bird (Semioptera Wallacii) which has two long special feathers standing erect on each wing.

STAND-BY Stand"-by`, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, stands by one in need; something upon which one relies for constant use or in an emergency.

STANDEL Stand"el, n.

Defn: A young tree, especially one reserved when others are cut. [Obs.] Fuller.

STANDER Stand"er, n.

1. One who stands.

2. Same as Standel. [Obs.] Ascham.

STANDERATH; STANDERAT Stän"de*rath`, or Stän"de*rat`, n. [G.] (Switzerland)

Defn: See Legislature, above.

STANDER-BY Stand"er-by`, n.

Defn: One who stands near; one who is present; a bystander.

STANDERGRASS Stand"er*grass`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Orchis mascula); — called also standerwort, and long purple. See Long purple, under Long.

STANDGALE Stand"gale`, n.

Defn: See Stannel. [Prov. Eng.]

STANDING Stand"ing, a.

1. Remaining erect; not cut down; as, standing corn.

2. Not flowing; stagnant; as, standing water.

3. Not transitory; not liable to fade or vanish; lasting; as, a standing color.

4. Established by law, custom, or the like; settled; continually existing; permanent; not temporary; as, a standing army; legislative bodies have standing rules of proceeding and standing committees.

5. Not movable; fixed; as, a standing bed (distinguished from a trundle-bed). Standing army. See Standing army, under Army. — Standing bolt. See Stud bolt, under Stud, a stem. — Standing committee, in legislative bodies, etc., a committee appointed for the consideration of all subjects of a particular class which shall arise during the session or a stated period. — Standing cup, a tall goblet, with a foot and a cover. — Standing finish (Arch.), that part of the interior fittings, esp. of a dwelling house, which is permanent and fixed in its place, as distinguished from doors, sashes, etc. — Standing order (Eccl.), the denomination (Congregiational) established by law; — a term formerly used in Connecticut. See also under Order. — Standing part. (Naut.) (a) That part of a tackle which is made fast to a block, point, or other object. (b) That part of a rope around which turns are taken with the running part in making a knot of the like. — Standing rigging (Naut.), the cordage or rope which sustain the masts and remain fixed in their position, as the shrouds and stays, - - distinguished from running rigging.

STANDING Stand"ing, n.

1. The act of stopping, or coming to a stand; the state of being erect upon the feet; stand.

2. Maintenance of position; duration; duration or existence in the same place or condition; continuance; as, a custom of long standing; an officer of long standing. An ancient thing of long standing. Bunyan.

3. Place to stand in; station; stand. I will provide you a good standing to see his entry. Bacon. I think in deep mire, where there is no standing. Ps. lxix. 2.

4. Condition in society; relative position; reputation; rank; as, a man of good standing, or of high standing. Standing off (Naut.), sailing from the land. — Standing on (Naut.), sailing toward land.

STANDISH Stand"ish, n. Etym: [Stand + dish.]

Defn: A stand, or case, for pen and ink. I bequeath to Dean Swift, Esq., my large silver standish. Swift.

STANDPIPE Stand"pipe`, n.

1. (Engin.)

Defn: A vertical pipe, open at the top, between a hydrant and a reservoir, to equalize the flow of water; also, a large vertical pipe, near a pumping engine, into which water is forced up, so as to give it sufficient head to rise to the required level at a distance.

2. (Steam Boiler)

Defn: A supply pipe of sufficient elevation to enable the water to flow into the boiler, notwithstanding the pressure of the steam. Knight.

STANDPOINT Stand"point`, n. Etym: [Cf. G. standpunkt.]

Defn: A fixed point or station; a basis or fundamental principle; a position from which objects or principles are viewed, and according to which they are compared and judged.

STANDSTILL Stand"still`, n.

Defn: A standing without moving forward or backward; a stop; a state or rest.

STANE Stane, n.

Defn: A stone. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

STANG Stang,

Defn: imp. of Sting. [Archaic]

STANG Stang, n. Etym: [OE. stange, of Scand. or Dutch origin; cf. Icel. stöng, akin to Dan. stang, Sw. stång, D. stang, G. stange, OHG. stanga, AS. steng; from the root of E. sting.]

1. A long bar; a pole; a shaft; a stake.

2. In land measure, a pole, rod, or perch. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Swift. Stang ball, a projectile consisting of two half balls united by a bar; a bar shot. See Illust. of Bar shot, under Bar. — To ride the stang, to be carried on a pole on men's shoulders. This method of punishing wife beaters, etc., was once in vogue in some parts of England.

STANG Stang, v. i. Etym: [Akin to sting; cf. Icel. stanga to prick, to goad.]

Defn: To shoot with pain. [Prov. Eng.]

STANHOPE Stan"hope, n.

Defn: A light two-wheeled, or sometimes four-wheeled, carriage, without a top; — so called from Lord Stanhope, for whom it was contrived.

STANIEL Stan"iel, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Stannel.

STANIELRY Stan"iel*ry, n.

Defn: Hawking with staniels, — a base kind of falconry. [Obs.]

STANK Stank, a. Etym: [OF. estanc, or It. stanco. See Stanch, a.]

Defn: Weak; worn out. [Obs.] Spenser.

STANK Stank, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Sw. stånka to pant. *165.]

Defn: To sigh. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

STANK Stank, imp. of Stink.

Defn: Stunk.

STANK Stank, n. Etym: [OF. estang, F. étang, from L. stagnum a pool. Cf. Stagnate, Tank a cistern.]

1. Water retained by an embankment; a pool water. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Robert of Brunne.

2. A dam or mound to stop water. [Prov. Eng.] Stank hen (Zoöl.), the moor hen; — called also stankie. [Prov. Eng.]

STANNARY Stan"na*ry, a. Etym: [L. stannum tin, an alloy of silver and lead.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to tin mines, or tin works. The stannary courts of Devonshire and Cornwall, for the administration of justice among the tinners therein, are also courts of record. Blackstone.

STANNARY Stan"na*ry, n.; pl. Stannaries. Etym: [LL. stannaria.]

Defn: A tin mine; tin works. Bp. Hall.

STANNATE Stan"nate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. stannate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of stannic acid.

STANNEL Stan"nel, n. Etym: [AS. stangella, stangilla; properly, stone yeller, i.e., a bird that yells from the rocks. See Stone, and Yell, and cf. Stonegall.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The kestrel; — called also standgale, standgall, stanchel, stand hawk, stannel hawk, steingale, stonegall. [Written also staniel, stannyel, and stanyel.] With what wing the staniel checks at it. Shak.

STANNIC Stan"nic, a. Etym: [L. stannum tin: cf. F. stannique.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to tin; derived from or containing tin; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a higher valence as contrasted with stannous compounds. Stannic acid. (a) A hypothetical substance, Sn(OH)4, analogous to silic acid, and called also normal stannic acid. (b) Metastannic acid. — Stannic chloride, a thin, colorless, fuming liquid, SnCl4, used as a mordant in calico printing and dyeing; — formerly called spirit of tin, or fuming liquor of Libavius. — Stannic oxide, tin oxide, SnO2, produced artificially as a white amorphous powder, and occurring naturally in the mineral cassiterite. It is used in the manufacture of white enamels, and, under the name of putty powder, for polishing glass, etc.

STANNIFEROUS Stan*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. stannum tin + -ferous.]

Defn: Containing or affording tin.

STANNINE; STANNITE Stan"nine, Stan"nite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a steel

STANNO- Stan"no-. Etym: [L. stannum tin.] (Chem.)

Defn: A combining form (also used adjectively) denoting relation to, or connection with, tin, or including tin as an ingredient.

STANNOFLUORIDE Stan`no*flu"or*ide, n. (Chem.)

Defn: Any one of a series of double fluorides of tin (stannum) and some other element.

STANNOSO- Stan*no"so-, a. (Chem.)

Defn: A combining form (also used adjectively) denoting relation to, or connection with, certain stannnous compounds.

STANNOTYPE Stan"no*type, n. Etym: [Stanno- + -type.] (Photog.)

Defn: A photograph taken upon a tin plate; a tintype.

STANNOUS Stan"nous, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or containing, tin; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a lower valence as contrasted with stannic compounds. Stannous chloride (Chem.), a white crystalline substance, SnCl2.(H2O)2, obtained by dissolving tin in hydrochloric acid. It is used as a mordant in dyeing.

STANNUM Stan"num, n. Etym: [L., alloy of silver and lead; later, tin.] (Chem.)

Defn: The technical name of tin. See Tin.

STANNYEL; STANYEL Stann"yel, Stan"yel, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Stannel.

STANT; STONT Stant, Stont, obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Stand, for standeth.

Defn: Stands. Chaucer.

STANZA Stan"za, n.; pl. Stanzas. Etym: [It. stanza a room, habitation, a stanza, i. e., a stop, fr. L. stans, p.pr. of stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Estancia, Stance, Stanchion.]

1. A number of lines or verses forming a division of a song or poem, and agreeing in meter, rhyme, number of lines, etc., with other divisions; a part of a poem, ordinarily containing every variation of measure in that poem; a combination or arrangement of lines usually recurring; whether like or unlike, in measure. Horace confines himself strictly to one sort of verse, or stanza, in every ode. Dryden.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: An apartment or division in a building; a room or chamber.

STANZAIC Stan*za"ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or consisting of, stanzas; as, a couplet in stanzaic form.

STAPEDIAL Sta*pe"di*al, a. Etym: [LL. stapes stirrup.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to stapes.

STAPELIA Sta*pe"li*a, n. Etym: [NL. So named after John Bodæus a Stapel, a physician of Amsterdam.] (Bot.)

Defn: An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the natural order Asclepiadaceæ (Milkweed family). They are succulent plants without leaves, frequently covered with dark tubercles giving them a very grotesque appearance. The odor of the blossoms is like that of carrion.

STAPES Sta"pes, n. Etym: [LL., a stirrup.] (Anat.)

Defn: The innermost of the ossicles of the ear; the stirrup, or stirrup bone; — so called from its form. See Illust. of Ear.

STAPHYLINE Staph"y*line, a. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the uvula or the palate.

STAPHYLINID Staph`y*li"nid, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any rove beetle.

STAPHYLOMA Staph`y*lo"ma, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A protrusion of any part of the globe of the eye; as, a staphyloma of the cornea.

STAPHYLOMATOUS Staph`y*lo"ma*tous, a. (Med.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to staphyloma; affected with staphyloma.

STAPHYLOPLASTY Staph"y*lo*plas`ty, n. Etym: [Gr. -plasty.] (Surg.)

Defn: The operation for restoring or replacing the soft palate when it has been lost. Dunglison. — Staph`y*lo*plas"tic, a.

STAPHYLORAPHY; STAPHYLORRHAPHY Staph`y*lor"a*phy, Staph`y*lor"rha*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. staphylorraphie.]

Defn: The operation of uniting a cleft palate, consisting in paring and bringing together the edges of the cleft. — Staph`y*lo*raph"ic, Staph`y*lor*rhaph"ic, a.

STAPHYLOTOMY Staph`y*lot"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)

Defn: The operation of removing a staphyloma by cutting.

STAPLE Sta"ple, n. Etym: [AS. stapul, stapol, stapel, a step, a prop, post, table, fr. stapan to step, go, raise; akin to D. stapel a pile, stocks, emporium, G. stapela heap, mart, stake, staffel step of a ladder, Sw. stapel, Dan. stabel, and E. step cf. OF. estaple a mart, F. étape. See Step.]

1. A settled mart; an emporium; a city or town to which merchants brought commodities for sale or exportation in bulk; a place for wholesale traffic. The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade. Arbuthnot. For the increase of trade and the encouragement of the worthy burgesses of Woodstock, her majesty was minded to erect the town into a staple for wool. Sir W. Scott.

Note: In England, formerly, the king's staple was established in certain ports or towns, and certain goods could not be exported without being first brought to these places to be rated and charged with the duty payable of the king or the public. The principal commodities on which customs were lived were wool, skins, and leather; and these were originally the staple commodities.

2. Hence: Place of supply; source; fountain head. Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumor that any thing important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head. Macaulay.

3. The principal commodity of traffic in a market; a principal commodity or production of a country or district; as, wheat, maize, and cotton are great staples of the United States. We should now say, Cotton is the great staple, that is, the established merchandize, of Manchester. Trench.

4. The principal constituent in anything; chief item.

5. Unmanufactured material; raw material.

6. The fiber of wool, cotton, flax, or the like; as, a coarse staple; a fine staple; a long or short staple.

7. A loop of iron, or a bar or wire, bent and formed with two points to be driven into wood, to hold a hook, pin, or the like.

8. (Mining) (a) A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels. (b) A small pit.

9. A district granted to an abbey. [Obs.] Camden.

STAPLE Sta"ple, a.

1. Pertaining to, or being market of staple for, commodities; as, a staple town. [R.]

2. Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled; as, a staple trade. Dryden.

3. Fit to be sold; marketable. [R.] Swift.

4. Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief. Wool, the great staple commodity of England. H

STAPLE Sta"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. stapled; p. pr. & vb. n. stapling.]

Defn: To sort according to its staple; as, to staple cotton.

STAPLER Sta"pler, n.

1. A dealer in staple goods.

2. One employed to assort wool according to its staple.

STAR Star, n. Etym: [OE. sterre, AS. steorra; akin to OFries. stera, OS. sterro, D. ster, OHG. sterno, sterro, G. stern, Icel. stjarna, Sw. stjerna, Dan. stierne, Goth. staírno, Armor. & Corn. stern, L. stella, Gr. star; perhaps from a root meaning, to seater, Skr. st, L. sternere (cf. Stratum), and originally applied to the stars as beingstrewn over the sky, or as beingscatterers or spreaders of light. *296. Cf. Aster, Asteroid, Constellation, Disaster, Stellar.]

1. One of the innumerable luminous bodies seen in the heavens; any heavenly body other than the sun, moon, comets, and nebulæ. His eyen twinkled in his head aright, As do the stars in the frosty night. Chaucer.

Note: The stars are distinguished as planets, and fixed stars. See Planet, Fixed stars under Fixed, and Magnitude of a star under Magnitude.

2. The polestar; the north star. Shak.

3. (Astrol.)

Defn: A planet supposed to influence one's destiny; (usually pl.) a configuration of the planets, supposed to influence fortune. O malignant and ill-brooding stars. Shak. Blesses his stars, and thinks it luxury. Addison.