stalled


stall 1

S0699100 (stôl)n.1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed.2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market.b. A small compartment: a shower stall.3. a. An enclosed seat in the chancel of a church.b. A pew in a church.4. Chiefly British A seat in the front part of a theater.5. A space marked off, as in a garage, for parking a motor vehicle.6. A protective sheath for a finger or toe.7. The sudden, unintended loss of power or effectiveness in an engine.8. A condition in which an aircraft or airfoil experiences an interruption of airflow resulting in loss of lift and a tendency to drop.v. stalled, stall·ing, stalls v.tr.1. To put or lodge in a stall.2. To maintain in a stall for fattening: to stall cattle.3. To halt the motion or progress of; bring to a standstill.4. To cause (a motor or motor vehicle) accidentally to stop running.5. To cause (an aircraft) to go into a stall.v.intr.1. To live or be lodged in a stall. Used of an animal.2. To stick fast in mud or snow.3. To come to a standstill: Negotiations stalled.4. To stop running as a result of mechanical failure: The car stalled on the freeway.5. To lose forward flying speed, causing a stall. Used of an aircraft.
[Middle English stalle, from Old English steall, standing place, stable; see stel- in Indo-European roots.]

stall 2

S0699100 (stôl)n. A ruse or tactic used to mislead or delay.v. stalled, stall·ing, stalls v.tr. To employ delaying tactics against: stall off creditors.v.intr. To employ delaying tactics: stalling for time.
[Alteration (influenced by stall) of obsolete stale, pickpocket's accomplice, from Middle English, decoy, from Anglo-Norman estale, of Germanic origin; possibly akin to Old English stǣl, stathol, place, position; see staddle.]