stool
a single seat on legs or a pedestal and without arms or a back.
a short, low support on which to stand, step, kneel, or rest the feet while sitting.
Horticulture. the stump, base, or root of a plant from which propagative organs are produced, as shoots for layering.
the base of a plant that annually produces new stems or shoots.
a cluster of shoots or stems springing up from such a base or from any root, or a single shoot or layer.
a bird fastened to a pole or perch and used as a decoy.
an artificial duck or other bird, usually made from wood, used as a decoy by hunters.
a privy.
the fecal matter evacuated at each movement of the bowels.
the sill of a window.
a bishop's seat considered as symbolic of his authority; see.
the sacred chair of certain African chiefs, symbolic of their kingship.
to put forth shoots from the base or root, as a plant; form a stool.
Slang. to turn informer; serve as a stool pigeon.
Idioms about stool
fall between two stools, to fail, through hesitation or indecision, to select either of two alternatives.
Origin of stool
1Other words from stool
- stoollike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stool in a sentence
He gazed round the stooled and tabled eaters, tightening the wings of his nose.
Ulysses | James JoyceSuch corners have either to be filleted or "stooled" in stripping plate work, and neither method often is practicable.
British Dictionary definitions for stool
/ (stuːl) /
a backless seat or footrest consisting of a small flat piece of wood, etc, resting on three or four legs, a pedestal, etc
a rootstock or base of a plant, usually a woody plant, from which shoots, etc, are produced
a cluster of shoots growing from such a base
mainly US a decoy used in hunting
waste matter evacuated from the bowels
a lavatory seat
(in W Africa, esp Ghana) a chief's throne
fall between two stools
to fail through vacillation between two alternatives
to be in an unsatisfactory situation through not belonging to either of two categories or groups
(of a plant) to send up shoots from the base of the stem, rootstock, etc
to lure wildfowl with a decoy
Origin of stool
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with stool
In addition to the idiom beginning with stool
- stool pigeon
also see:
- fall between the cracks (two stools)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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