Etymology: Old English stalu strong feminine = Old High German stala (feminine) (modern German -stahl in diebstahl (masculine), theft), < Germanic *stal- : *stel- : see steal v.¹

Etymology: Old English stalu strong feminine, related by ablaut to the synonymous stela steal n.¹ Compare Middle Flemish stael (Kilian), West Flemish staal (De Bo), North Frisian stal, staal (masculine), handle, West Frisian stâlle. The words stale and steal cannot be completely separated, as the spellings stale , stail may represent a dialectal pronunciation of steal , and on the other hand the sound which would be given in some dialects to stale would naturally be written steal by outsiders. For convenience, the examples with the spelling stail(e stale are placed here, and those with the spelling steal , steele , etc. under steal n.¹

Etymology: Probably < Anglo-Norman estale, estal (only in Bozon, 13th cent.), applied to a pigeon used to entice a hawk into the net; that this word is not an adoption < English is rendered probable by the occurrence of the extended form estalon in continental French with the same sense (Cotgrave 1611; Godefroy gives earlier instances spelt estolon , etelon ). Of Germanic origin; compare Old English stælhrán decoy reindeer, stællo (Northumbrian) catching (of fish), probably from the root of steall place (stall n.¹) stęllan to place; for the sense compare the rendering of stale by ‘stacionaria’ in the Promptorium, and German stellvogel decoy-bird. It has been usual to regard the stæl- in stælhrán as identical with the combining form of stalu theft (as in stælgiest predatory guest, stælhere plundering army); but the difference of meaning renders this unlikely; and the current identification of Old Northumbrian stællo with stalu seems inadmissible on grounds both of form and sense.

Etymology: < Old French estal, used in many specific applications of the senses (1) place, position, (2) something placed or fixed (modern French étal butcher's stall), < Old High German stal : see stall n.¹

Etymology: ? < stale v.¹ But compare Dutch stalle, Middle Low German stal, German stall.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman estale, perhaps verbal noun < estaler stale v.³

Etymology: Absolute use of stale adj.¹

Etymology: Of obscure history, but probably ultimately < the Germanic root *sta- to stand v. Compare Flemish stel in the same sense, said of beer and urine (Kilian; still used in West Flemish, see De Bo).

Etymology: < stale n.⁶

Etymology: Proximate source uncertain; perhaps < Old French estaler (once in Godefroy, with erroneous explanation) = Italian stallare; either adopted from, or the source of, the Germanic word which appears as Dutch, Low German, High German stallen (Middle High German in 14th cent.), Swedish stalla, Danish stalle, to make water (said of horses). Attempts have been made to identify the Germanic word with German (Dutch, etc.) stallen to place in a stall, be lodged in a stall, also to come to a stand (see stall n.¹, stall v.¹). For objections to these explanations see Grimm s.v. stallen.

Etymology: < stale adj.¹

Etymology: Perhaps < Anglo-Norman estaler, ? of English origin: compare stall v.¹

Etymology: < stale n.²

Etymology: < stale n.³