stale

stale · adjective, noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*stāną“to stand”
2. Old French · derived fromestal“fixed position, place”
3. Middle English · inherited fromstale
4. English todaystale

From Middle English stale, from Old French estal (“fixed position, place”), but probably originally from Proto-Germanic *stāną (“to stand”): compare West Flemish stel in the same sense for ‘beer’ and ‘urine’.

stale · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*stel-
2. Old English · derived fromstela
3. Middle English · derived fromstele
4. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*stal-
5. Old English · inherited fromstalu
6. Middle English · inherited fromstale
7. English todaystale

From Middle English stale, from Old English stalu, from Proto-Germanic *stal-; compare English stell from this root. The development was paralleled by the ablaut which became English steal, from Middle English stele, from Old English stela, from Proto-Germanic *stel-. Both are from the same Proto-Indo-European root *stel-, *stol- (“to place, establish”), whence also Ancient Greek στελεός (steleós, “handle”). See also English stele.

stale · noun, adjective, verb³

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*stallaz
2. Frankish · derived fromstal
3. Old French · derived fromestal“place, something placed”
4. Middle English · inherited fromstale
5. English todaystale

From Middle English stale, from Old French estal (“place, something placed”) (compare French étal), from Frankish stal, from Proto-Germanic *stallaz, earlier *staþlaz. Related to stall and stand.

stale · noun, verb⁴

1. Old French · derived fromestaler“urinate”
2. Middle English · inherited fromstalen
3. Middle Dutch · derived fromstal“urine”
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromestal“urine”
5. Middle English · inherited fromstale
6. English todaystale

Noun from Middle English stale, from Anglo-Norman estal (“urine”), from Middle Dutch stal (“urine”). Cognate with Middle Low German stal (“horse urine; bowel movement”). Verb from Middle English stalen, from Old French estaler (“urinate”), related to Middle High German stallen (“to piss”).

stale · noun, verb⁵

1. Anglo-Norman · derived fromestale“pigeon used to lure hawks”
2. Middle English · inherited fromstale“bird used as a decoy”
3. English todaystale

From Middle English stale (“bird used as a decoy”), probably from uncommon Anglo-Norman estale (“pigeon used to lure hawks”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic, probably *standaną (“to stand”). Compare Old English stælhran (“decoy reindeer”) and Northumbrian stællo (“catching fish”).

Words from the same roots