stale

[stale]

If something is stale, it's no longer fresh. Ever bite into a piece of bread that's been left out a little too long? Chances are it's stale, or dry and hard to eat. Try making some croutons out of it.

...

The stock or handle of anything; as, the stale of a rake.

Verb
urinate, of cattle and horses

Adjective
showing deterioration from age; "stale bread"

Adjective S.
no longer new; uninteresting; "cold (or stale) news"

Adjective S.
lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new; "moth-eaten theories about race"


n.
The stock or handle of anything; as, the stale of a rake.

v. i.
Vapid or tasteless from age; having lost its life, spirit, and flavor, from being long kept; as, stale beer.

v. i.
Not new; not freshly made; as, stele bread.

v. i.
Having lost the life or graces of youth; worn out; decayed.

v. i.
Worn out by use or familiarity; having lost its novelty and power of pleasing; trite; common.

v. t.
To make vapid or tasteless; to destroy the life, beauty, or use of; to wear out.

a.
To make water; to discharge urine; -- said especially of horses and cattle.

v. i.
That which is stale or worn out by long keeping, or by use.

v. i.
A prostitute.

v. i.
Urine, esp. that of beasts.

v. t.
Something set, or offered to view, as an allurement to draw others to any place or purpose; a decoy; a stool pigeon.

v. t.
A stalking-horse.

v. t.
A stalemate.

v. t.
A laughingstock; a dupe.


Stale

Stale , n. [OE. stale, stele, AS. st'91l, stel; akin to LG. & D. steel, G. stiel; cf. L. stilus stake, stalk, stem, Gr. a handle, and E. stall, stalk, n.] 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.

Stale

Stale, a. [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.
How weary, stale flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!
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.] 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.

Stale

Stale, v. i. [Akin to D. & G. stallen, Dan. stalle, Sw. stalla, and E. stall a stable. 163. See Stall, n., and cf. Stale, a.] To make water; to discharge urine; -- said especially of horses and cattle. Hudibras.

Stale

Stale, n. [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. [Cf. OF. estal place, position, abode, market, F. '82tal 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.
2. A stalking-horse. [Obs.] B. Jonson. 3. (Chess) A stalemate. [Obs.] Bacon. 4. A laughingstock; a dupe. [Obs.] Shak.

The stock or handle of anything; as, the stale of a rake.

Vapid or tasteless from age; having lost its life, spirit, and flavor, from being long kept; as, stale beer.

To make vapid or tasteless; to destroy the life, beauty, or use of; to wear out.

To make water; to discharge urine; -- said especially of horses and cattle.

That which is stale or worn out by long keeping, or by use.

Something set, or offered to view, as an allurement to draw others to any place or purpose; a decoy; a stool pigeon.

...

Usage Examples

Contrary to popular opinion, things don't go stale particularly fast in the art world.

Misspelled Form

stale, astale, wstale, estale, dstale, xstale, zstale, atale, wtale, etale, dtale, xtale, ztale, satale, swtale, setale, sdtale, sxtale, sztale, srtale, s5tale, s6tale, sytale, sgtale, srale, s5ale, s6ale, syale, sgale, strale, st5ale, st6ale, styale, stgale, stqale, stwale, stsale, stzale, stqle, stwle, stsle, stzle, staqle, stawle, stasle, stazle, stakle, staole, staple, sta:le, stake, staoe, stape, sta:e, stalke, staloe, stalpe, stal:e, stalwe, stal3e, stal4e, stalre, stalse, stalde, stalw, stal3, stal4, stalr, stals, stald, stalew, stale3, stale4, staler, stales, staled.

Other Usage Examples

A stale article, if you dip it in a good, warm, sunny smile, will go off better than a fresh one that you've scowled upon.

Southern political personalities, like sweet corn, travel badly. They lose flavor with every hundred yards away from the patch. By the time they reach New York, they are like Golden Bantam that has been trucked up from Texas - stale and unprofitable. The consumer forgets that the corn tastes different where it grows.

Comments


Browse Dictionary