stable1

[stey-buh l] /ˈsteɪ bəl/
noun
1.
a building for the lodging and feeding of horses, cattle, etc.
2.
such a building with stalls.
3.
a collection of animals housed in such a building.
4.
Horse Racing.
  1. an establishment where racehorses are kept and trained.
  2. the horses belonging to, or the persons connected with, such an establishment.
5.
Informal.
  1. a number of people, usually in the same profession, who are employed, trained, or represented by the same company, agency, manager, etc.:
    a comedy show with a large stable of writers.
  2. the establishment that trains or manages such a group of people:
    two boxers from the same stable.
  3. a collection of items produced by or belonging to an establishment, industry, profession, or the like:
    The American auto industry has some new small cars in its stable.
verb (used with object), stabled, stabling.
6.
to put or lodge in or as if in a stable.
verb (used without object), stabled, stabling.
7.
to live in or as if in a stable.
Origin
1200-50; Middle English stable < Old French estable < Latin stabulum standing room, equivalent to sta-, stem of stāre to stand + -bulum noun suffix denoting place
Related forms
stablelike, adjective
unstabled, adjective
Synonyms
1. barn, mews.

stable2

[stey-buh l] /ˈsteɪ bəl/
adjective, stabler, stablest.
1.
not likely to fall or give way, as a structure, support, foundation, etc.; firm; steady.
2.
able or likely to continue or last; firmly established; enduring or permanent:
a stable government.
3.
resistant to sudden change or deterioration:
A stable economy is the aim of every government.
4.
steadfast; not wavering or changeable, as in character or purpose; dependable.
5.
not subject to emotional instability or illness; sane; mentally sound.
6.
Physics. having the ability to react to a disturbing force by maintaining or reestablishing position, form, etc.
7.
Chemistry. not readily decomposing, as a compound; resisting molecular or chemical change.
8.
(of a patient's condition) exhibiting no significant change.
Origin
1225-75; Middle English < Old French estable < Latin stabilis stabile
Related forms
stableness, noun
stably, adverb
Synonyms
1. fixed, strong, sturdy. 4. invariable, unvarying, staunch, constant, reliable, steady, solid.
Examples from the web for stable
  • If you get it fixed, printed on the page, then it becomes a stable thing that people can look at and think about for themselves.
  • The stable housed horses-some of a different color-with carts before them.
  • What favoured this notion was that in or out of the stable, the brute would let no other than his master go near him.
  • The reason of this extreme difficulty comes from the fact that the principles of pleasure are not firm and stable.
  • My two ponies were the only occupants of my stable except a cart-horse.
  • Life is rarely static, rarely in a state of stable equilibrium.
  • For him, literal and figurative meaning are not stable categories, but historical ones determined by their social context.
  • Sometimes having a profit-based company is more stable than any alternative platform to get things going.
  • But their reasonably stable world could easily be upended.
  • Sometimes horses' hooves could be heard clattering in the cobbled stable yard at the rear of the house.
British Dictionary definitions for stable

stable1

/ˈsteɪbəl/
noun
1.
a building, usually consisting of stalls, for the lodging of horses or other livestock
2.
the animals lodged in such a building, collectively
3.
  1. the racehorses belonging to a particular establishment or owner
  2. the establishment itself
  3. (as modifier): stable companion
4.
(informal) a source of training, such as a school, theatre, etc: the two athletes were out of the same stable
5.
a number of people considered as a source of a particular talent: a stable of writers
6.
(modifier) of, relating to, or suitable for a stable: stable manners
verb
7.
to put, keep, or be kept in a stable
Word Origin
C13: from Old French estable cowshed, from Latin stabulum shed, from stāre to stand

stable2

/ˈsteɪbəl/
adjective
1.
steady in position or balance; firm
2.
lasting or permanent: a stable relationship
3.
steadfast or firm of purpose
4.
(of an elementary particle, atomic nucleus, etc) not undergoing decay; not radioactive: a stable nuclide
5.
(of a chemical compound) not readily partaking in a chemical change
6.
(of electronic equipment) with no tendency to self-oscillation
Derived Forms
stableness, noun
stably, adverb
Word Origin
C13: from Old French estable, from Latin stabilis steady, from stāre to stand
Word Origin and History for stable
n.

"building where horses or cows are kept," early 13c., "building for domestic animals," from Old French estable "a stable, stall" (also applied to cowsheds and pigsties), from Latin stabulum "a stall, fold, aviary, etc." literally "a standing place," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet).

Meaning "collection of horses belonging to one stable is attested from 1570s; transferred sense of "group of fighters under same management" is from 1897; that of "group of prostitutes working for the same employer" is from 1937.

For what the grete Stiede
Is stole, thanne he taketh hiede,
And makth the stable dore fast.
[John Gower, "Confessio Amantis," 1390]

adj.

"steadfast, firm," mid-13c., from Old French estable, from Latin stabilis "firm, steadfast," literally "able to stand," from stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Physical sense of "secure against falling" is recorded from late 14c. Of nuclear isotopes, from 1904.

v.

"to put (a horse) in a stable," early 14c., from stable (n.). Related: Stabled; stabling.

stable in Medicine

stable sta·ble (stā'bəl)
adj. sta·bler, sta·blest

  1. Resistant to change of position or condition.

  2. Not subject to mental illness or irrationality.

  3. Having no known mode of decay; indefinitely long-lived. Used of atomic particles.

  4. Not easily decomposed or otherwise modified chemically.

stable in Science
stable
  (stā'bəl)   

  1. Not susceptible to a process of decay, such as radioactivity. For example, the most common isotope of carbon, carbon 12, is stable. Protons and photons are examples of stable subatomic particles. See more at decay.

  2. Relating to a chemical compound that does not easily decompose or change into other compounds. Water is an example of a stable compound.

  3. Relating to an atom or chemical element that is unlikely to share electrons with another atom or element.

  4. Not likely to change significantly or to deteriorate suddenly, as an individual's medical condition.


Slang definitions & phrases for stable

stable

noun

The group of people performing similar work, managed by one person: She's part of his stable of writers (1937+)


Idioms and Phrases with stable

stable

see: lock the barn (stable) door after the horse has bolted