stalkn.1
/stɔːk/, U.S. /stɔk/, /stɑk/ 1. † c. ? nonce-use. A bit of straw, a ‘mote’.
a. The main stem of a herbaceous plant, bearing the flowers and leaves; also, a scape or flower-stem rising directly from the root.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > stem or stalk > [noun]
stealc700
stemc888
spirea1000
stalka1366
caulc1420
codd?1440
stalec1440
thighc1440
shank1513
pipe?1523
start?1523
spindle1577
leg1597
scape1601
haulm1623
caulicle1657
culm1657
thyrse1658
scapus1704
stemlet1838
stam1839
caulis1861
caulome1875
tige1900
a1366 Romaunt Rose 1701 The stalke [Fr. la coe] was as rysshe right And theron stode the knoppe vpright.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Hosea viii. 7 A stondynge stalk [L. culmus stans] is not in hem.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. clxvi. 1059 The myddil stalk of an herbe oþer of a tree hatte tirsus.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. 3106 Floures..Vp-on her stalke gan splaie her levis wyde.
1483 Cath. Angl. 359/1 A Sstalke, calamus.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Frutex, that which hath a great stalke and yet it is no tree, as fenelle.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 33 Beanes..both the Coddes and the stalke, is a foode that cattel muche delightes in.
1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Rome in Complaints xxx Like as the seeded field..from greene grasse into a stalke doth spring, And from a stalke into an eare forth-growes.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 269 Dwale or sleeping Nightshade hath round blackish stalks sixe foote high.
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia ii. 28 Every stalke of their corne commonly beareth two eares.
1640 T. Brugis Marrow of Physicke ii. 147 To dry Lettice Stalkes, Artichocke Stalkes, or Cabbage Stalkes.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 480 So from the root Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves More aerie. View more context for this quotation
c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 548 Having filled a sponge with vinegar..they put it upon a stalk of hyssop.
c1730 A. Ramsay To D. Malloch vii Misty minds that plod And thresh for thought, but ne'er advance Their stawk aboon their clod.
1776 J. Lee Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) Expl. Terms 378 Scapus, a Stalk, elevating the Fructification and not the Leaves.
1779 W. Cowper in J. Newton & W. Cowper Olney Hymns i. lxxxv. 105 We find a tall and sickly stalk, But not the fruitful ear.
1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek iv. 92 The stalk of flax that waves in my field.
1839 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation (1863) 87 It is a long green reed, like the stalk of the maize.
1910 Blackwood's Mag. Feb. 263/2 I looked through the rough tangle of stalks and stems.
b. The woody core of hemp and flax.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > stalk or core of hemp or flax plant
bunc1400
boona1425
stalk1577
shove1688
sheave1797
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 39v The Shales or Stalkes [of hemp] serue for the heating of Ouens.
1838 Penny Cycl. X. 305 The flax plants are passed between these cylinders..and the stalk, or boon, as it is technically called, is by this means completely broken without injuring the fibres.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > [noun] > specific impurities > particle of foreign matter
motec1300
stalkc1405
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 65 He kan wel in myn eye seen a stalke But in his owene he kan noght seen a balke.
2.
a. The comparatively slender connecting part by which a vegetable organ is attached to the plant; the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle or pedicel of a flower, fruit, or inflorescence, the stipe of an ovary, or the like.
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the world > plants > part of plant > stem or stalk > [noun] > pedicel or footstalk
stalkc1325
starta1400
tinea1400
petifoot?1440
footling1562
footstalk1562
strig1565
stem1600
tail1613
pedicle1626
pedal1660
pedicel1682
peduncle1702
ray1729
stipes1760
stipe1785
flower-stalk1789
fruit-stalk1796
podium1866
c1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 150 Outez l'estiche et la parure [gloss the stalke and the paring], E lour donez la morsure [gloss the body of the appel].
c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (1868) i. met. vi. 26 Þe stalkes of þe vine [L. palmites].
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 275/1 Stalke of any frute, queve.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Pediculus,..the stalke of an apple or peare, or other frute.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 82 They gather a darke or blackish kind of cherry, and casting away the stalkes, put them into a great cauldron.
1632 S. Marmion Hollands Leaguer ii. v Have my love Shak'd off because 'tis ripe, but let me hang by The stalk of your mercy.
1808 W. Scott Marmion iii. xvii. 149 I on its stalk had left the rose!
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1090/2 Stalk, the stem or support to an organ; as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle or pedicel of a flower, &c.
1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 105 The half-spindle-shaped ones [sc. cystoliths of Acanthaceæ] are attached by a very thin short stalk.
1909 G. K. Chesterton Orthodoxy iv. 89 The man of science says: Cut this stalk and the apple will fall.
b. A similar slender connecting part by which an animal organ or structure is attached or supported.
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the world > life > the body > internal organs > [noun] > stock or stalk
pedicle1704
footstalk1774
stalk1826
stem1861
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 357 Stipes (the Stalk). The corneous base of the Maxilla, below the Palpus.
1866 R. Tate Plain & Easy Acct. Mollusks Great Brit. iii. 47 The head bears two..tentacles..with the stalks bearing the eyes attached to them on the outside.
1899 D. Sharp in Cambr. Nat. Hist. VI. ii. 317 When a portion of a nervure beyond the basal or primary portion serves as a common piece to two forked parts external to it, it is called a stalk.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 824 The ‘stalk’ of the tumour.
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the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > hawk > parts of
narea1475
clap1486
arm1575
stalkc1575
festoon1821
c1575 Perfect Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886) 5 Tokens of a good Hawke:..stalke short and bygg: foot large, wyde, [etc.].
c1575 Perfect Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886) 31 Good for any swellinge in fote or stalke.
4. Applied to various erect slender objects.† a. The upright of a ladder: = stale n.2 1.1939 J. Joyce Finnegans Wake ii. 236 Just so stylled with the nattes are their flowerheads now and each of all has a lovestalk onto herself.] 1961 E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed. 5) II. 1293/2 Stalk,..an erection.1976 A. White Long Silence iv. 37 I had a stalk on me long as my arm. A right handful, that one.1978 J. Updike Coup (1979) ii. 79 My stalk verged upon response, upon enlargement and erection.1979 W. Styron Sophie's Choice ii. 45 She..prepared to take between those lips unkissed by my own the bone-rigid stalk of my passion.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [noun] > upright side of ladder
stalea1250
steal1395
stalkc1405
shaft1888
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 439 His owene hand he made laddres thre To clymben by the ronges and the stalkes Vn to the tubbes hangyng in the balkes.
b. The shaft of a chimney. Cf. stack n. 5b.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > devices for heating buildings, rooms, etc. > chimney > flue or shaft
tewelc1384
shaftc1450
tunnel1508
shankc1525
chimney-shank1552
flue1582
gullet1672
funnel1688
fire tube1729
vent1756
stalk1821
chimney neck1833
stovepipe1858
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. iii. 56 Twisted stalks of chimneys, of heavy stone-work.
1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 406/2 Vast improvements have been made..in building stalks for steam boilers and chemical furnaces.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 280 To..increase the solidity of an insulated stalk of this kind, it is built with three or more successive plinths, or recedures.
1885 R. L. Stevenson & F. Stevenson Dynamiter 134 A great stalk of chimneys.
c. A columnar rock; = stack n. 7. local.
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the world > the earth > land > land mass > reef > stack > [noun]
carrc950
stack1769
stag1776
stalk1806
sea-stack1899
1806 Gazetteer Scotl. (ed. 2) at Dungisbay-Head The Stalks of Dungisbay, as they are called, are two pyramidal pillars, of naked freestone rock.
d. coarse slang. A penis, esp. one that is erect.
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the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis > erect
Priapusc1487
Priap1561
Priapian1598
polec1600
Jack1604
maypole1607
stalk1609
rod1641
bone1654
stick1707
ramrod1768
horn1785
phallus1807
phallos1885
ithyphallus1889
boner1960
stiff1980
stonker1987
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3v My wofull selfe..Threw my affections in his charmed power, Reseru'd the stalke and gaue him al my flower.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xix. 47 Bawd. Heere comes that which growes to the stalke, Neuer pluckt yet I can assure you. Is shee not a faire creature? View more context for this quotation
5. † b. The shaft of a quill; a quill. Obsolete.† c. The stem of a fork or spoon. Obsolete.
a. The main part of anything long and slender, as distinguished from the extremities.
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the world > space > shape > condition of being long in relation to breadth > [noun] > long, narrow and straight object > as main part of something
stalk1530
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 275/1 Stalke of a shafte, fvst.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 221 The tops of the hair apeare blacke, the foot and stalke being white.
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society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > quill pen > parts of
stalkc1440
plume1681
c1440 J. Lydgate Horse, Goose & Sheep 183 Men plukke stalkes out of my weengis tweyn, Some to portraye, somme to noote & write.
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 172 I tried it by fixing the leggs of a Fly upon the top of the stalk of a feather.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis i. §2. ii. 22 The Plume or Stalk of a Quill.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > cutlery > spoon > parts of
stalka1423
slipc1530
shank1688
bit1703
heel1801
rat's tail1878
a1423 in Archaeologia 61 173 j fork of siluer wt a Dragouns hede holding up the stalk for grenynges.
1496 Will of Jane Dynham (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/11) f. 87 A forke of siluer with a stalke of corall for grene ginger.
1522 Will of Philip Baynard (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/19) f. 21 A doseyn sponys where p is in the stalk.
d. The tube or stem of a thermometer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > measurement of temperature > [noun] > instrument > tube or stem of thermometer
stalk1833
1833 N. Arnott Elements Physics (ed. 5) II. 111 It is easy to proportion the bulb and the stalk to each other, so that [etc.].
e. colloquial. A lever mounted on the floor or on the steering column of a motor vehicle, which controls the gears or such devices as horn, indicators, lights, windscreen wipers, etc.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > stalks and switches
horn-ring1928
indicator switch1959
stalk1964
stalk switch1976
1964 Road & Track Jan. 22/2 The gears are selected by an odd curved floor stalk which fouls the passenger seat but they go in all right.
1972 Country Life 15 June 1577/2 Steering-column stalks look after the windscreen washer and wiper.
1977 Daily Tel. 19 Jan. 12/6 I liked the cloth-trimmed seats and the control stalks on the steering column in place of the old rocker switches on the fascia.
6. A slender upright support; the stem of a wine glass.
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the world > food and drink > drink > containers for drink > drinking vessel > [noun] > glass > stem
shank1553
shafta1837
stem1836
baluster stem1844
straw-stem1853
stalka1864
Silesian stem1929
a1864 N. Hawthorne Amer. Note-bks. (1879) II. 88 Old drinking-glasses, with tall stalks.
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 51 The teeth rise on stalks from the body of the escape wheel.
1882 J. G. Phillip in J. F. S. Gordon Shaw's Hist. Moray I. 202 It is a chalice or cup [of the Bronze Period]... Its great peculiarity was that it had neither handle nor stalk.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > parts of
headstallc1330
trench1480
stalk1497
musrol1551
head-strain?1561
water-chain?1561
throat band1585
cavesson1598
mullen1598
nose bit?a1600
front-stall1601
ampyx1607
chain1607
fillet1607
cheek-band1611
cheekpiece1611
noseband1611
throat thong1611
headpiece1678
throatlatch1693
headband1704
trenchefil1730
bridoon1744
banquet1753
head1756
cheek1795
throat strap1803
frontlet1805
throat-lash1805
cheekstrap1834
brow-band1844
nosepiece1865
shank1879
1497 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 328 Item, for ane doubil helter with tua stalkis.
1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 29 ij..heltir stalkis.
8. Iron-founding. (See quot. 1875.)
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Stalk, an iron rod armed with spikes, forming the nucleus of a core.
9. Architecture. (See quot. 1842.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > column > [noun] > capital > parts of specific types of capital
caulis1563
helix1563
vase1563
voluta1563
cyllerie1592
codd1601
cilery1611
roll1611
turning1631
pillow1664
volute1696
tambour1706
collarino1715
annulet1728
colarin1728
drum1728
caulicoles1815
intervolute1831
bolster1842
stalk1842
horn1847
bell1848
cauliculusa1878
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 1037 Stalk, an ornament in the Corinthian capital, which is sometimes fluted, and resembles the stalk of a plant; from it spring the volutes and helices.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
stalk-like adj.
ΚΠ
1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 678/1 The crura cerebri are seen..to enter stalk-like, into the inferior surface of the cerebral hemispheres.
1888 F. Rutley Rock-forming Minerals 184 Stalk-like or reedy forms are likewise of frequent occurrence.
C2. † stalk-legged adj. Obsolete long-legged, spindle-shanked.
stalk-borer n. U.S. the larva of a moth, Gortyna nitela, destructive to plants.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Caradrinidae > larva of gortyna nitela or stalk-borer
stalk-borer1885
1885 Riverside Nat. Hist. (1888) II. 451 The stalk-borer.
stalk-cutter n. U.S. an implement for cutting old maize stalks in the ground.
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Stalk-cutter.
stalk-eyed adj. having the eye at the end of a stalk, podophthalmate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > head and neck > [adjective] > having an eye or eyes > having eye at end of stalk
stalk-eyed1853
pillared1871
stalked-eyed1882
1853 T. Bell (title) A history of the British stalk-eyed Crustacea.
stalk-fruited adj. = pedunculate adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > fruit or reproductive product > plant that bears fruit > [adjective] > bearing fruit or fruitful > with or without footstalk
stalk-fruited1869
sessile1875
1869 W. J. M. Rankine Cycl. Machine & Hand-tools App. 68 The old English Oak, or Stalk-fruited Oak (Quercus robur or Quercus pedunculata), in which the acorns grow on stalks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > [adjective] > types of > having
jamby?a1400
well-legged1566
spindle-shankedc1600
spindle-shank1604
post-legged1608
splay-legged1638
duck-legged1650
stalk-legged1659
long-limbed1660
sharp-shinned1704
spindle-legged1710
leggy1776
red-legged1817
flamingo-legged1862
thick-legged1873
split-up1874
pin-legged1884
lank-legged1906
straddly1921
1659 G. Torriano Florio's Vocabolario Italiano & Inglese Fuscello, a spindle-shank, or stalk-legged fellow.
stalk-puller n. an implement for pulling cotton and hemp stalks from the ground.
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Stalk-puller.
stalk switch n. a switch in the form of a stalk or lever mounted on the steering column of a motor vehicle (see sense 5e above).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > stalks and switches
horn-ring1928
indicator switch1959
stalk1964
stalk switch1976
1976 Evening Post (Nottingham) 15 Dec. 10/8 Stalk switches, within easy reach of fingers on the wheel, control the lights, wipers, wash and flasher, also horn and direction indicators.
Draft additions 1993
In a motor vehicle: a flexible arm holding the mounting by which a seat-belt latch is secured.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > seat-belt > mounting to which seat-belt is attached
stalk1974
1974 Motoring Which? Oct. 133/2 [The] safety belts didn't fit very well. The centre stalk was too long—it could rest at the side of your stomach.
1988 Daily Tel. 14 Oct. 3/2 When he examined a Datsun car,..he unscrewed the console between the two stalks for the seat belts and several driving licences fell out.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
stalkn.2
/stɔːk/, U.S. /stɔk/, /stɑk/ 1.
a. An act of stalking game.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > [noun] > stalking
stalkc1450
stalking1503–4
still-hunting1831
still-hunt1858
sneak-hunting1878
c1450 in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1909) iii. 53 A Stalke of ffostersse.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xviii. xxi. 764 They were shoters and coude wel kylle a dere bothe at the stalke & at the trest.
1621 G. Markham Hungers Preuention viii. 53 Also you must obserue in the Stalke to turne that side [of the stalking-horse] euer vpon the Fowle which is plaine without splents.
1873 G. C. Davies Mountain, Meadow & Mere x. 83 A careful stalk might have brought a shooter within shot.
1885 W. H. Russell in Harper's Mag. Apr. 770/1 There may be a deer drive or a stalk at Glenmuick.
1907 J. H. Patterson Man-eaters of Tsavo xx. 225 My stalk was crowned with success, the beautiful animal being bagged without much trouble.
b. attributive, as †stalk-hound.
ΚΠ
1664 T. Killigrew Parsons Wedding iv. i, in Comedies & Trag. 122 A pox upon them for a couple of Stauk-hounds; have they killed at last?
2. A striding gait; a stately or pompous mode of walking.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > [noun] > manner of walking > stately or affected
cock pace1569
stalk1590
ambling1597
amble1607
strut1607
jetting1609
prance1648
grand pas1651
strutting1656
jet1686
to have a roll on1881
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vii. sig. S5 An vgly feend,..The which with monstrous stalke behind him stept, And euer as he went, dew watch vpon him kept.
1616 B. Jonson Cynthias Revels (rev. ed.) v. iv, in Wks. I. 251 Leaue him not so much as a looke, an eye, a stalke, or an imperfect oth, to expresse himselfe by.
1694 J. Addison Acct. Greatest Eng. Poets in Ann. Miscellany 321 Milton next, with high and haughty stalks, Unfetter'd in Majestick Numbers walks.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 179. ⁋4 The sprightly trip, the stately stalk, and the lofty mien.
1793 W. Wordsworth Evening Walk 242 Then issuing often with unwieldy stalk, They [the swans] crush with broad black feet their flowery walk.
1869 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows (1871) 11 Their [the crow-blackbirds'] port is grave, and their stalk across the turf as martial as that of a second-rate ghost in Hamlet.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
stalkv.1
/stɔːk/, U.S. /stɔk/, /stɑk/ a. intransitive. To walk softly, cautiously, or stealthily.In quot. a1400 either reflexive or with dative of the subject.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > softly or stealthily
stalkc1300
slinkc1374
soft-shoe1913
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > stealthy movement > move stealthily [verb (intransitive)]
besteala725
snikec897
steal1154
creepc1175
skulk?c1225
snaker?c1225
stalkc1300
slenchc1330
lurka1375
slinkc1374
snokec1380
slide1382
slipc1400
mitchera1575
sneak1598
snake1818
sly1825
snoop1832
to steal one's way1847
sniggle1881
gumshoe1897
slime1898
pussyfoot1902
soft-foot1913
cat-foot1916
pussy1919
pussa1953
c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xxxii. 40 Hinguar færlice swa swa wulf on lande bestalcode and þa leode sloh.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 138 On sumere nihte hlosnode sum oðer munuc his færeldes and mid sleaccre stalcunge his fotswaðum filigde.]
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Laud) (1901) l. 1129 He lokede in eche halke Sey he nowere stalke Ayol hys trewe felawe.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2578 Tristrem and þe quen Stalked to her play.
c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde ii. 519 Tho gan I stalke softly hym by-hynde.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2728 Þan hiȝed þei hem to þe hauen..& stalkeden ful stilly þer stoden fele schippes.
a1375 How to hear Mass (Vernon) in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) 507 Whon he [sc. the priest] haþ waschen..Priueliche and stille he stalkes To his Auter aȝeyn.
a1380 Eufrosyne 390 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 178 I stunte, I stonde, vnstabli I stalke.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3601 Esau..Ga lok þi tacle be puruaid, And faand to stalk þe sa nere þat þou mai drep me sum dere.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 472/1 Stalkyn..serpo.
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn Prol. l. 282 Madam! wol ye stalk Pryuely in-to þe garden, to se the herbis grow?
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur vii. xix. 243 He cam stylly stalkyng behynde the dwerf and plucked hym fast vnder his arme.
c1530 Court of Love 1030 And stalking soft with easy pase, I saw About the king ther stonden environ, Attendaunce, Diligence,..and many oon.
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 16v There stalkte he on, as soft as foote could tread.
ΚΠ
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 219 Quhen he herd ony wilde beste stalkand besyde him.
2. figurative.1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 93 O I, stalke on, stalk on, the foule sits. I did neuer think that lady would haue loued any man. View more context for this quotation1605 B. Jonson Sejanus iii. i. 501 His franke tongue Being lent the raines, will take away all thought Of malice, in your course against the rest. We must keepe him to stalke with. View more context for this quotation1647 J. Cleveland Char. London-diurnall 5 He stalkes with Essex, and shoots under his belly.1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. i. §9 As well then may an Atheist say..that religion is nothing but a design, because men may make it stalke to their private ends.1702 R. L'Estrange tr. Josephus Jewish Antiq. xvii. vii, in Wks. 480 To get the Reputation of a Tender and a Dutiful Son; and so..to Stalk under that Cloak up to the King himself.† b. transitive ? To involve by cunning devices, inveigle. Obsolete. rare.
a. †To go stealthily to, towards (an animal) for the purpose of killing or capturing it (obsolete). Hence, to pursue game by the method of stealthy approach, esp. by the use of a stalking-horse or of some device for concealing oneself from the view of the hunted animal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunt [verb (intransitive)] > stalk
stalka1400
still-hunt1858
a1400 King & Hermit 321 Now, Crystes blyssing haue sych a frere, That þus canne ordeyn our soper, And stalke vnder þe wode bowe.
c1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 21 His bowe he toke in hand toward þe deere to stalke.
1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII c. 11 That no person from hensforth stauke or cause eny other person to stalke with eny boussh or bestys to eny Deere.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Biv/2 To Stalke, venari.
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 193 Lette him..carrye his hawke vnhooded..stawking towardes them, vntill he haue gotten reasonably neare them.
1621 G. Markham Hungers Preuention 55 To stalke with a Horse where no Horses liue or are bred..is absurde and losse of labor.
1622 M. Drayton 2nd Pt. Poly-olbion xxv. 108 One vnderneath his Horse, to get a shoot doth stalke.
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia ii. 32 Thus shrowding his body in the skinne [of a deer] by stalking, he approacheth the Deere.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles iii. xiii. 97 A while their route they silent made, As men who stalk for mountain-deer.
1819 Sporting Mag. 5 118 A gamekeeper, who may be stalking, which is going behind a horse, whose head is kept down that he may appear to be grazing.
1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting iii. 77 I came up with the troop, stalked in upon them, and shot a fine young bull.
1907 J. H. Patterson Man-eaters of Tsavo vi. 67 The roars completely ceased, and we knew that they [the lions] were stalking for their prey.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > snare, trap, entanglement > entrap, ensnare [verb (transitive)]
shrenchc897
beswike971
betrapa1000
bewindOE
undernimc1175
undertakec1175
bisayc1200
beguile?c1225
catchc1225
beginc1250
biwilea1275
tele?a1300
enginec1300
lime13..
umwrithea1340
engrin1340
oblige1340
belimec1350
enlacec1374
girnc1375
encumber138.
gnarec1380
enwrap1382
briguea1387
snarl1387
upbroid1387
trap1390
entrikea1393
englue1393
gildera1400
aguilec1400
betraisec1400
embrygec1400
snare1401
lacea1425
maska1425
begluec1430
marl1440
supprise?c1450
to prey ona1500
attrap1524
circumvene1526
entangle1526
tangle1526
entrap1531
mesh1532
embrake1542
crawl1548
illaqueate1548
intricate1548
inveigle1551
circumvent1553
felter1567
besnare1571
in trick1572
ensnare1576
overcatch1577
underfong1579
salt1580
entoil1581
comprehend1584
windlassa1586
folda1592
solicit1592
toil1592
bait1600
beset1600
engage1603
benet1604
imbrier1605
ambush1611
inknot1611
enmesha1616
trammela1616
fool1620
pinion1621
aucupate1630
fang1637
surprise1642
underreacha1652
trepan1656
ensnarl1658
stalk1659
irretiate1660
coil1748
nail1766
net1803
to rope in1840
mousetrap1870
spider1891
1659 J. Rushworth Hist. Coll. 265 By the Artifices of the said Duke of Buckingham..the said Earl hath been insensibly involved and stauked into the troubles he is now in.
3. transitive.figurative and in extended use.1855 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes II. vii. 68 As he was pursuing the deer, she stalked his lordship.1861 W. M. Thackeray Philip ix Mrs. Matcham's girl fished for Captain Woolcomb last year in Scotland,..and stalked him to Paris.1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 Nov. 5/2 Their [sc. torpedo boats'] special function is to stalk ironclads at night time.1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 188 One would hardly care to make a study of animal photography with a larger-sized apparatus than 1/1-plate. To stalk a flock of sheep with a 15 × 12..would..be worse than futile.1903 J. Morley Life Gladstone I. iii. viii. 435 Whigs and Peelites..were all ready at last to stalk down their crafty quarry.
a. To pursue (game) by stealthy approach. to stalk down: to follow or track (an animal) stealthily until one comes within range.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunt [verb (transitive)] > stalk (animal)
stalk1823
still-hunt1877
1823 W. Scott Peveril III. ii. 45 And for shooting him from behind a wall, it is cruelly like to stalking a deer.
1845 Zoologist 3 971 He immediately proposed to a friend to get a horse and stalk them [wild swans].
1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest I. iv. 66 I intend to buy you a gun, that you may learn to stalk deer yourself.
1872 C. Darwin Origin of Species (ed. 6) vii. 178 No animal is more difficult to stalk than the giraffe.
1907 J. H. Patterson Man-eaters of Tsavo ii. 25 Lions always stalk their prey in complete silence.
1907 J. H. Patterson Man-eaters of Tsavo xxvii. 309 We dismounted and stalked them [the eland] carefully through the long grass.
b. To go through (a tract of country) stalking game.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunt [verb (transitive)] > stalk (country)
stalk1861
1861 G. H. Kingsley in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1860 122 The hills I am going to stalk are under sheep.
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 211 The troopers, deciding to stalk the bush on foot,..passed..silently through the trees.
4. figurative.1710 J. Addison Whig Examiner No. 4. ⁋5 It stalks upon hard words and rattles through polysyllables.1841 N. Hawthorne Famous Old People iii. 30 One urchin shall hereafter..stalk gravely through life.1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 264 Why should my fancy go stalking through that great Rubens Museum?
a. intransitive. To walk with stiff, high, measured steps, like a long-legged bird. Usually with disparaging notion, implying haughtiness, sullenness, indifference to one's surroundings, or the like. Also †to stalk it.In dialect use, the predominant notion is often that of ungainliness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > in stately or affected manner
prancea1398
jeta1400
prankc1450
strut1518
stalk1530
jotc1560
brank1568
piaffe1593
strit1597
swagger1600
stretch1619
prig1623
flutter1690
prink1696
jut1763
strunt1789
straddle1802
major1814
cakewalk1890
sashay1968
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 732/1 I stalke, I go softly and make great strides, je vas a grans pas. He stalketh lyke a crane.
a1547 J. Redford Moral Play Wit & Sci. (1848) 8 Yt is he playne That thus bold doth make hym Wythowt my lycence To stalke by my doore.
1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas Epil. 21 The elder sorte, go stately stalking on.
1591 H. Smith Pride Nabuchadnezzar 4 Then was hee stalking in his galleries, and thinking what sinne should be next.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 491 Who stalking on high upon stilts, apply their mindes, to grasing, fishing, and fowling.
1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger i. iv. 317 He replied that it was they, which there stalke it,..with Ruffes, and blacke apparrell.
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. i, in Wks. I. 566 Others, that will stalke i' their gait like an Estrich. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 402 About them round A Lion now he [sc. Satan] stalkes with fierie glare. View more context for this quotation
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 446 The Noblemen stalking with their Ladys on Choppines.
1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur viii. 237 Like one of Anak's mighty Sons he stalk'd.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. x. 410 A soldier of unusual size..stalkt about on the parapet.
1771 J. Beattie Minstrel: Bk. 1st xli. 21 The whistling plowman stalks afield.
1787 F. Grose Provinc. Gloss. L 3 b Cambridgeshire camels... Some have supposed this term to have originated from the Fen-men, stalking through the marshes on their stilts.
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. viii. 115 The Dominie..might be seen stalking about with a mathematical problem in his head, and his eye upon a child of five years old.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xiii. 343 It was remembered but too well how the dragoons had stalked into the peasant's cottage, cursing and damning him, themselves, and each other at every second word.
1862 C. C. Robinson Dial. Leeds & Neighbourhood 421 Stauk, to walk in an awkward manner, unmindful of appearances.
1906 F. Treves Highways & Byways Dorset xi. 169 Its arched doorway, where pikemen stalked on guard.
b. said of a bird or animal.
ΚΠ
1600 Maydes Metamorphosis i. sig. B3 Marke the Deare how they begin to stalke, When each..Pricks vp his head, and beares a Princely minde.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. x. xxiii. 281 These Cranes..will..run the round with their long shankes staulking full untowardly.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 107 The Mother Lion..Scours o're the Plain;..Demanding Rites of Love; she sternly stalks . View more context for this quotation
1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. II. 195 A vagrant deer stalking like a shadow across the opening.
1825 W. Scott Betrothed vii, in Tales Crusaders II. 144 No heron was seen stalking on the usual haunts of the bird.
1865 D. Livingstone & C. Livingstone Narr. Exped. Zambesi iv. 99 The stately stepping Marabout stalks slowly along the almost stagnant channels.
c. often said of ghosts, and (figurative) of quasi-personified maleficent agencies, as pestilence, famine, etc.
ΚΠ
a1593 C. Marlowe tr. Lucan First Bk. (1600) 570 Fowle Erinnis stalkt about the wals, Shaking her snakie haire and crooke pine With flaming Toppe.
1656 A. Cowley Misc. 17 in Poems As sullen Ghosts stalk speechless by Where their hid Treasures ly.
1719 E. Young Busiris i. 13 Illustrious Shades! Who nightly stalk around The Tyrant's Couch.
1790 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum III. 306 The last Halloween I was waukin My droukit sark-sleeve, as ye ken; His likeness cam up the house staukin..the very grey breeks o' Tam Glen!
1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. i. ix. 65 That wild spirit of speculation which is now stalking abroad.
1846 J. S. Mill Diss. & Disc. (1859) II. 306 Ate..is represented as a gigantic figure, who stalks forth furiously, diffusing ruin.
1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. xiii. 194 None so self-devoted as Hester, when pestilence stalked through the town.
1888 A. Jessopp Coming of Friars v. 226 The plague was stalking grimly up and down the land.
d. transitive. To march proudly through (a country, etc.). Also quasi-transitive with adverbial accusative.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > take pride in [verb (transitive)] > walk proudly through
bestrut1594
stalk1610
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk upon or tread [verb (transitive)] > tread in a stately or affected manner
jet1533
bestrut1594
stalk1610
strut1749
parade1778
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 60 Two bloodie Sunnes stalking the duskie sphear.
1612 J. Taylor Sculler D 4 b With stately gate the peopled Burse he stalkes.
1747 W. Collins Odes 5 Danger..Who stalks his Round, an hideous Form.
1841 W. H. Ainsworth Old St. Pauls i. i Like a hideous phantom stalking the streets at noon-day.
Draft additions March 2006
transitive. To harass or persecute (a person, esp. a public figure) with unwanted, obsessive, and usually threatening attention over an extended period of time. Cf. stalker n. Additions.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being harassed > harass [verb (transitive)] > in specific way
buzz1679
bepaper1861
stalk1981
1981 Los Angeles Times 10 July vi. 15/1 A highly publicized..theatrical production starring TV trash goddess Morgan Fairchild..as anchorwoman Jaime Fremont, who is stalked by an obsessed photographer.
1990 Daily Mail 10 Mar. 13/5 A fan..stalked..[the] star for 18 months, writing 200 letters threatening: ‘I'll get you’.
2000 Punch (Nassau, Bahamas) 11 Dec. 6/1 A man has pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend and even confessed to following her to her classes at Bermuda College.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
stalkv.2
/stɔːk/, U.S. /stɔk/, /stɑk/ 1. intransitive. To put forth stalks. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > grow or vegetate [verb (intransitive)] > sprout or put forth new growth
spriteOE
wrideOE
brodc1175
comea1225
spirec1325
chicka1400
sprouta1400
germin?1440
germ1483
chip?a1500
spurgea1500
to put forth1530
shootc1560
spear1570
stock1574
chit1601
breward1609
pullulate1618
ysproutc1620
egerminate1623
put1623
germinate1626
sprent1647
fruticate1657
stalk1666
tiller1677
breerc1700
fork1707
to put out1731
stool1770
sucker1802
stir1843
push1855
braird1865
fibre1869
flush1877
1666 J. Davies tr. C. de Rochefort Hist. Caribby-Islands 5 There is not strength enough left in the root to force it to staulk and knit in the ear.
2. transitive. To remove the stalks from (fruit).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparing fruit and vegetables > prepare fruit and vegetables [verb (transitive)] > remove stalks or foliage
string1747
stem1873
hull1884
strig1887
stalk1902
1902 Daily Chron. 5 July 8/4 Stalk three-quarters of a pound of fine fresh fruit, rub them through a hair sieve [etc.].
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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