Adjacent Words

Stable definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STABLE, a. [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, v.t. To fix; to establish. [Not used.]
STABLE, n. [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, v.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, v.i. To dwell or lodge in a stable; to dwell in an inclosed place; to kennel.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: resistant to change of position or condition; "a stable ladder"; "a stable peace"; "a stable relationship"; "stable prices" [ant: unstable]
2: firm and dependable; subject to little fluctuation; "the economy is stable"
3: not taking part readily in chemical change
4: maintaining equilibrium
5: showing little if any change; "a static population" [syn: static, stable, unchanging] n
1: a farm building for housing horses or other livestock [syn: stable, stalls, horse barn] v
1: shelter in a stable; "stable horses"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estable, stable, from Latin stabulum, from stare to stand — more at stand Date: 13th century 1. a building in which domestic animals are sheltered and fed; especially such a building having stalls or compartments <a horse stable> 2. a. the racehorses of one owner b. a group of people (as athletes, writers, or performers) under one management c. the racing cars of one owner d. group, collection • stableman noun II. verb (stabled; stabling) Date: 14th century transitive verb to put or keep in a stable intransitive verb to dwell in or as if in a stable III. adjective (stabler; stablest) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estable, stable, from Latin stabilis, from stare to stand Date: 13th century 1. a. firmly established ; fixed, steadfast <stable opinions> b. not changing or fluctuating ; unvarying <in stable condition> c. permanent, enduring <stable civilizations> 2. a. steady in purpose ; firm in resolution b. not subject to insecurity or emotional illness ; sane, rational <a stable personality> 3. a. (1) placed so as to resist forces tending to cause motion or change of motion (2) designed so as to develop forces that restore the original condition when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion b. (1) not readily altering in chemical makeup or physical state <stable emulsions> (2) not spontaneously radioactive Synonyms: see lasting • stableness noun • stably adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj. (stabler, stablest) 1 firmly fixed or established; not easily adjusted, destroyed, or altered (a stable structure; a stable government). 2 firm, resolute; not wavering or fickle (a stable and steadfast friend). 3 Chem. (of a compound) not readily decomposing. 4 Physics (of an isotope) not subject to radioactive decay. Phrases and idioms: stable equilibrium a state in which a body when disturbed tends to return to equilibrium. Derivatives: stableness n. stably adv. Etymology: ME f. AF stable, OF estable f. L stabilis f. stare stand 2. n. & v. --n. 1 a building set apart and adapted for keeping horses. 2 an establishment where racehorses are kept and trained. 3 the racehorses of a particular stable. 4 persons, products, etc., having a common origin or affiliation. 5 such an origin or affiliation. --v.tr. put or keep (a horse) in a stable. Phrases and idioms: stable-boy a boy employed in a stable. stable-companion (or -mate) 1 a horse of the same stable. 2 a member of the same organization. stable-girl a girl employed in a stable. stable-lad a person employed in a stable. Derivatives: stableful n. (pl. -fuls). Etymology: ME f. OF estable f. L stabulum f. stare stand

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, a. (Physics) So placed as to resist forces tending to cause motion; of such structure as to resist distortion or molecular or chemical disturbance; -- said of any body or substance.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, v. t. To fix; to establish. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, n. [OF. estable, F. ['e]table, from L. stabulum, fr. stare to stand. See Stand, v. 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, a. [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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stabled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stabling.] To put or keep in a stable.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stable Sta"ble, v. i. To dwell or lodge in a stable; to dwell in an inclosed place; to kennel. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stabler, stablest, stables) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If something is stable, it is not likely to change or come to an end suddenly. The price of oil should remain stable for the rest of 1992. ...a stable marriage. ADJ • stability It was a time of political stability and progress. N-UNCOUNT 2. If someone has a stable personality, they are calm and reasonable and their mood does not change suddenly. Their characters are fully formed and they are both very stable children. ? unstable ADJ 3. You can describe someone who is seriously ill as stable when their condition has stopped getting worse. The injured man was in a stable condition. ADJ 4. Chemical substances are described as stable when they tend to remain in the same chemical or atomic state. (TECHNICAL) The less stable compounds were converted into a compound called Delta-A THC. ADJ 5. If an object is stable, it is firmly fixed in position and is not likely to move or fall. This structure must be stable. ? unstable ADJ 6. A stable or stables is a building in which horses are kept. N-COUNT 7. A stable or stables is an organization that breeds and trains horses for racing. Miss Curling won on two horses from Mick Trickey's stable. N-COUNT 8. When horses are stabled, they are put into a stable. The animals had been fed and stabled... VERB: usu passive, be V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Fixed, established, permanent, immovable, immutable, unalterable, indestructible, unchangeable, invariable, strong, firm. 2. Constant, steady, firm, steadfast, unwavering, stanch. 3. Durable, lasting, enduring, abiding, permanent, secure, perpetual, sure, fast.

Moby Thesaurus

Augean stables, abiding, accordant, accountable, adamantine, age group, age-long, aged, alike, ancient, antique, articulated, assiduous, automatic, balanced, band, barn, battalion, bed, beleaguer, berth, beset, besiege, bevy, billet, blockade, body, bound, box in, brigade, bulky, bunch, bunk, byre, cabal, cage, calculable, cast, catenated, ceaseless, chamber, changeless, chastened, chronic, clique, close in, cohort, company, compass, competent, complement, concatenated, connected, consistent, consonant, constant, constrained, contain, contingent, continual, continued, continuing, continuous, controlled, cool, coop, coop in, coop up, cordon, cordon off, corps, corral, correspondent, coterie, covey, cowbarn, cowbyre, cowhouse, cowshed, crew, crowd, cyclical, deep-rooted, dense, dependable, detachment, detail, devoted, diligent, direct, diuturnal, division, dogged, domicile, domiciliate, dump, durable, encircle, enclose, encompass, endless, enduring, enshrine, entry, equable, equal, established, even, evergreen, faction, fail-safe, faithful, faithworthy, fast, favorite, featureless, fence in, fiducial, firm, firm as Gibraltar, fixed, flat, fleet, frozen, gang, gapless, group, grouping, groupment, guaranteed, harbor, hard, hardy, harmless, heavy, hedge in, hem in, hole, homogeneous, house, house in, hovel, hushed, immediate, immobile, immutable, imperturbable, impound, imprison, in control, in equilibrium, in hand, in-group, inalterable, incarcerate, incessant, include, indefatigable, indomitable, industrious, infrangible, insistent, intact, interminable, intransient, invariable, inveterate, invincible, inviolate, invulnerable, jail, joined, jointless, junta, kennel, lasting, leaguer, level, limited, linked, lodge, long-lasting, long-lived, long-standing, long-term, longeval, longevous, loyal, macrobiotic, made of iron, marble-constant, massive, measured, mechanical, methodic, mew, mew up, mews, mob, monolithic, monotonous, movement, mudder, never-ending, never-tiring, nonstop, obstinate, of a piece, of long duration, of long standing, ordered, orderly, out-group, outfit, pack, party, patient, patient as Job, peer group, pen, pen in, perdurable, perduring, perennial, periodic, permanent, perpetual, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, pesthole, phalanx, pigpen, pigsty, plague spot, plate horse, plater, platoon, plodding, plugging, pocket, poised, pole horse, pony, posse, predictable, preoccupied, put up, quarantine, quarter, quelled, quiescent, race horse, racer, rail in, rapt, reasonable, recurrent, regiment, regular, relentless, reliable, remaining, repetitive, resolute, responsible, restrained, rigid, riskless, robotlike, rookery, room, round-the-clock, rugged, running, safe, salon, sane, seamless, secure, sedulous, sempervirent, sensible, serried, set, shelter, shrine, shut in, shut up, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, slum, smooth, solid, sound, squad, stabile, stake horse, staker, stall, starter, static, stationary, staunch, staying, steadfast, steady, steeplechaser, stout, straight, string, strong, stubborn, sturdy, sty, subdued, substantial, sure, surefire, surround, sustained, systematic, team, tempered, tenacious, tenement, the slums, tireless, torpid, tough, tribe, troop, troupe, true, true-blue, trustworthy, trusty, twenty-four-hour, unabating, unalterable, unaltered, unassailable, unbreakable, unbroken, unceasing, unchangeable, unchanged, unchanging, unchecked, unconquerable, undangerous, undaunted, undestroyed, undeviating, undifferentiated, undiscouraged, undiversified, undrooping, unending, unfading, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflappable, unflinching, unhazardous, uniform, unintermitted, unintermittent, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unnodding, unperilous, unprecarious, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unrelieved, unremitting, unrisky, unruffled, unshakable, unshifting, unsleeping, unstopped, unswerving, untiring, unvaried, unvarying, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, utterly attentive, vital, wall in, warranteed, warren, weariless, well-balanced, well-built, well-constructed, well-founded, well-grounded, well-made, wing, without nerves, wrap, yard, yard up