stalk

[ stawk ]

/ stɔk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stalk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the stem or main axis of a plant.

any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule.

a similar structural part of an animal.

a stem, shaft, or slender supporting part of anything.

Automotive. a slender lever, usually mounted on or near the steering wheel, that is used by the driver to control a signal or function: The horn button is on the turn-signal stalk.

Nearby words

Origin of stalk

1275–1325; Middle English stalke, apparently equivalent to Old English stal(u) stave + -k diminutive suffix

Related formsstalk·like, adjective

stalk

[ stawk ]

/ stɔk /

verb (used without object)

to pursue or approach prey, quarry, etc., stealthily.

to walk with measured, stiff, or haughty strides: He was so angry he stalked away without saying goodbye.

to proceed in a steady, deliberate, or sinister manner: Famine stalked through the nation.

Obsolete. to walk or go stealthily along.

verb (used with object)

to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily.

to proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry: to stalk the woods for game.

to proceed or spread through in a steady or sinister manner: Disease stalked the land.

noun

an act or course of stalking quarry, prey, or the like: We shot the mountain goat after a five-hour stalk.

a slow, stiff stride or gait.

Origin of stalk

1250–1300; Middle English stalken (v.), representing the base of Old English bestealcian to move stealthily, stealcung stalking (gerund); akin to steal

Related formsstalk·a·ble, adjectivestalk·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stalk

They go to Paris, but never leave the underground metro station, where they stalk the metro mall shops.
‘Girlhood’: Coming of Age in France’s Projects|Molly Hannon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Famine will stalk the land and as many as seven million people will confront extreme food insecurity—in short, starvation.
Preventing Genocide In South Sudan|Eric Reeves, John Prendergast|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plus, where else can you stalk your kids and go on tour with Snoop Dogg at the same time?
This Week’s Hot Apps: Dec. 13, 2013|Brian Ries|December 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Traffickers often continue to harass and stalk their former captives via phone and in person.
New Report Exposes Trafficking Rings in Egypt’s Sinai|John Beck|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When he at last tears it from the earth, its “stalk was all frayed and the flower itself no longer seemed so fresh and beautiful.”
Turning to Tolstoy’s ‘Hadji Murat’ as Boston Locked Down|Liesl Schillinger|April 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Scald one quart of milk, with half an onion and a stalk of celery; strain into a pitcher and keep hot if convenient.
Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties|Janet McKenzie Hill
Stalk, three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender, inserted in a deep regular cavity.
British Pomology|Robert Hogg
In the stalk of the rye occurs a knot, forming a slight bulge known to the peasantry as the “sweet joint.”
Creatures of the Night|Alfred W. Rees
The stalk is tall and strong, good in colour, fit for all purposes.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
He began to stalk his victim as noiselessly as a cat, taking advantage of every ant-hill or snowdrift to screen himself.
Lives of the Fur Folk|M. D. Haviland

British Dictionary definitions for stalk

stalk

/ (stɔːk) /

noun

the main stem of a herbaceous plant

any of various subsidiary plant stems, such as a leafstalk (petiole) or flower stalk (peduncle)

a slender supporting structure in animals such as crinoids and certain protozoans, coelenterates, and barnacles

any long slender supporting shaft or column

Derived Formsstalked, adjectivestalkless, adjectivestalklike, adjective

Word Origin for stalk

C14: probably a diminutive formed from Old English stalu upright piece of wood; related to Old Frisian staal handle

verb

to follow or approach (game, prey, etc) stealthily and quietly

to pursue persistently and, sometimes, attack (a person with whom one is obsessed, often a celebrity)

to spread over (a place) in a menacing or grim mannerfever stalked the camp

(intr) to walk in a haughty, stiff, or threatening wayhe stalked out in disgust

to search or draw (a piece of land) for prey

noun

the act of stalking

a stiff or threatening stride

Derived Formsstalker, noun

Word Origin for stalk

Old English bestealcian to walk stealthily; related to Middle Low German stolkeren, Danish stalke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stalk

stalk

"stem of a plant," early 14c., probably a diminutive (with -k suffix) of stale "one of the uprights of a ladder, handle, stalk," from Old English stalu "wooden part" (as of a harp), from Proto-Germanic *stalo; related to Old English steala "stalk, support," and steall "place" (see stall (n.1)).

stalk

v.1

"pursue stealthily," Old English -stealcian, as in bestealcian "to steal along," from Proto-Germanic *stalkojanan, probably from a frequentative of the root of steal (cf. hark from hear, talk from tell). Or it may be from a sense of stalk (v.1), influenced by stalk (n.). Meaning "harass obsessively" first recorded 1991. Related: Stalked; stalking.

A stalking-horse was literally a horse trained to allow a fowler to conceal himself behind it to get within range of the game; figurative sense of "person who participates in a proceeding to disguise its real purpose" is recorded from 1610s.

v.2

"walk haughtily" (opposite meaning of stalk (v.1)) is 1520s, perhaps from stalk (n.) with a notion of "long, awkward strides," or from Old English stealcung "a stalking," related to stealc "steep, lofty."

Medicine definitions for stalk

stalk

[ stôk ]

n.

A slender or elongated support or structure, as one that connects or supports an organ.

Science definitions for stalk

stalk

[ stôk ]

The main stem of a plant.

A slender structure that supports a plant part, such as a flower or leaf.

A slender supporting structure in certain other organisms, such as the reproductive structure in plasmodial slime molds or the part of a mushroom below the cap.

A slender supporting or connecting part of an animal, such as the eyestalk of a lobster.

stalk

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of stalk

stalk

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of stalk

Examples from the Web for stalk

stalk

noun

Word Origin for stalk

verb

noun

Word Origin for stalk

stalk

stalk

stalk

n.

stalk