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Webster 1913 Edition

Stable

Sta′ble

(stā′b’l)
,
Adj.
[OF.
estable
, F.
stable
, fr. L.
stabilis
, fr.
stare
to stand. See
Stand
,
Verb.
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 equilibrium
(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.

Sta′ble

,
Verb.
T.
To fix; to establish.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Sta′ble

,
Noun.
[OF.
estable
, F.
étable
, from L.
stabulum
, fr.
stare
to stand. See
Stand
,
Verb.
I.
]
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
(Zool.)
,
a common dipterous fly (
Stomoxys calcitrans
) which is abundant about stables and often enters dwellings, especially in autumn; called also
biting house fly
. These flies, unlike the common house flies, which they resemble, bite severely, and are troublesome to horses and cattle. They differ from the larger
horse fly
.

Sta′ble

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Stabled
(-b’ld)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Stabling
(-blĭng)
.]
To put or keep in a stable.

Sta′ble

,
Verb.
I.
To dwell or lodge in a stable; to dwell in an inclosed place; to kennel.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Stable

STABLE

,
Adj.
[L. The primary sense is set, fixed. See Stab.]
1.
Fixed; firmly established; not to be easily moved, shaken or overthrown; as a stable government.
2.
Steady in purpose; constant; firm in resolution; not easily diverted from a purpose; not fickle or wavering; as a stable man; a stable character.
3.
Fixed; steady; firm; not easily surrendered or abandoned; as a man of stable principles.
4.
Durable; not subject to be overthrown or changed.
In this region of chance and vanity, where nothing is stable--

STABLE

,
Verb.
T.
To fix; to establish. [Not used.]

STABLE

,
Noun.
[L., a stand, a fixed place, like stall. See the latter. These words do not primarily imply a covering for horses or cattle.] A house or shed for beasts to lodge and feed in. In large towns, a stable is usually a building for horses only, or horses and cows, and often connected with a coach house. In the country towns in the northern states of America, a stable is usually an apartment in a barn in which hay and grain are deposited.

STABLE

,
Verb.
T.
To put or keep in a stable. Our farmers generally stable not only horses, but oxen and cows in winter, and sometimes young cattle.

STABLE

,
Verb.
I.
To dwell or lodge in a stable; to dwell in an inclosed place; to kennel.

Definition 2024

stable

stable

English

Noun

stable ‎(plural stables)

  1. A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) animals with hoofs, especially horses.
    There were stalls for fourteen horses in the squire's stables.‎
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner. He could not be induced to remain permanently at Mohair because Miss Trevor was at Asquith, but he appropriated a Hempstead cart from the Mohair stables and made the trip sometimes twice in a day.
  2. (metonymically) All the racehorses of a particular stable, i.e. belonging to a given owner.
Translations

Verb

stable ‎(third-person singular simple present stables, present participle stabling, simple past and past participle stabled)

  1. (transitive) to put or keep (horse) in a stable.
    • 1954, C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy, Collins, 1998, Chapter 7,
      "I hope your have been quite comfortable." ¶ "Never better stabled in my life," said Bree.
  2. (rail transport, transitive) to park (a rail vehicle)
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Latin stabilis (itself from stare ‎(“stand”) + -abilis ‎(“able”))

Adjective

stable ‎(comparative stabler or more stable, superlative stablest or most stable)

  1. Relatively unchanging, permanent; firmly fixed or established; consistent; not easily moved, altered, or destroyed.
    He was in a stable relationship.
    a stable government
    • Rogers
      In this region of chance, […] where nothing is stable.
  2. (computing) Of software: established to be relatively free of bugs, as opposed to a beta version.
    You should download the 1.9 version of that video editing software: it is the latest stable version. The newer beta version has some bugs.‎
  3. (computer science, of a sorting algorithm) That maintains the relative order of items that compare as equal.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin stabilis. Replaced Middle French, Old French estable, an earlier borrowing from the same Latin source.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /stabl/

Adjective

stable m, f ‎(plural stables)

  1. stable (relatively unchanging)

Antonyms

Related terms

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French estable, either from Latin stabulum ‎(“stall, stand”) or from Latin stabilis (itself from stare ‎(“stand”) + -abilis ‎(“able”)).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsteɪ.bəl/
  • Rhymes: -eɪbəl

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