stool

[ stool ]

/ stul /

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See synonyms for: stool / stooled / stooling on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

verb (used without object)

to put forth shoots from the base or root, as a plant; form a stool.

Slang. to turn informer; serve as a stool pigeon.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about stool

fall between two stools, to fail, through hesitation or indecision, to select either of two alternatives.

Origin of stool

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English stōl; cognate with German Stuhl, Old Norse stōll, Gothic stols “chair”; all are from unattested Germanic stō- (from Indo-European root of stand) + -l- suffix (unattested); akin to Old Church Slavonic stolŭ “throne”

OTHER 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

The researchers collected stool samples from 55 residents and found that 24 contained traces of hookworm or another intestinal parasite.
Battling America’s ‘dirty secret’|Sarah Kaplan|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Since the pandemic’s early days, researchers have documented the presence of coronavirus genetic material in the stool of some infected people.
Immunity to COVID-19 may persist six months or more|Erin Garcia de Jesus|November 24, 2020|Science News
Sitting on an exercise ball at your desk is very Dwight Schrute — and will remind you how long it’s been since you did Pilates — but this active stool provides similar benefits while making you feel like an overgrown, bouncy kid.
This Weekend: This Is How You Lounge in Style|Joshua Eferighe|October 10, 2020|Ozy
As guards scamper up to set a screen for LeBron, Davis has all-too-often transformed into a very tall bar stool.
The Heat Took A Page From The Lakers’ Playbook|Michael Pina|October 6, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Technically, stool transplants are not “probiotic epidemics.”
When Evolution Is Infectious - Issue 90: Something Green|Moises Velasquez-Manoff|September 30, 2020|Nautilus
It has the habit of stooling out, and commonly the several specimens will be deflected from a vertical from 20-45 degrees.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam
It should never be too much trouble to restore the lost impulse for stooling twice or thrice daily.
Intestinal Ills|Alcinous Burton Jamison

British Dictionary definitions for stool

stool

/ (stuːl) /

noun

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

verb (intr)

(of a plant) to send up shoots from the base of the stem, rootstock, etc

to lure wildfowl with a decoy

Word Origin for stool

Old English stōl; related to Old Norse stōll, Gothic stōls, Old High German stuol chair, Greek stulos pillar

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with stool

stool

In addition to the idiom beginning with stool

stool pigeon

also see:

fall between the cracks (two stools)

stool

Idioms about stool

Origin of stool

OTHER WORDS FROM stool

Words related to stool

How to use stool in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stool

Word Origin for stool

Other Idioms and Phrases with stool