stall
/stɔːl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.79 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A seat in a theatre close to and (about) level with the stage; traditionally, a seat with arms, or otherwise partly enclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
Countable
noun
An Heathen altar, typically an indoor one, as contrasted with a more substantial outdoor harrow.
noun
A seat in a church, especially one next to the chancel or choir, reserved for church officials and dignitaries.
Example Sentences
- "His Fellow ſought what Lodging he could find: At laſt he found a Stall where oxen ſtood, And that he rather choſe than lie abroad."
- "Now he goes on, and ſings of fairs and ſhows, For ſtill new fairs before his eyes aroſe. How pedlars' ſtalls with glitt'ring toys are laid, The various fairings of the country maid."
- "He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days [...]"
- "Despite the swift backpedalling of the university, the original notice given to stall operators is suggestive of the potential existence of 'a growing English-speaking elite' that is 'happy to maintain the importance of the English language'."
- "Rabbit eases from the king-size bed, goes into their bathroom with its rose-colored one-piece Fiberglas tub and shower stall, and urinates into the toilet of a matching rose porcelain."
- "In a private rite, a ring is drawn on the ground around a harrow or before an indoor stall."
Etymology
From Middle English stall, stalle, from Old English steall (“standing place, position”), from Proto-Germanic *stallaz, from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place, put, post, stand”). Cognate with French étal, Italian stallo, German Stall, Swedish stall.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: stall, steall, *stallaz, *stel-, stallen, estaler
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /stɔːl/