stalk1
/stɔːk
/noun
1The main stem of a herbaceous plant: he chewed a stalk of grass...
- As seeds ripened during the course of the experiment, the inflorescences were harvested by clipping the main stalk of each flowering culm just below the lowermost panicle branch.
- To prepare parsley for chopping, pull leaves from the main stalk.
- Ally chewed a grass stalk and listened to the bumblebees.
1.1The slender attachment or support of a leaf, flower, or fruit: the acorns grow on stalks...
- Its heart-shaped leaves float on the water surface and five-petaled white flowers rise on little stalks above the leaves.
- They attack young leaves, flower stalks and buds.
- Exacerbated by warm, humid weather, red blotch infects leaves, flower stalks, blooms and bulb scales.
1.2A stalk-like support for a sessile animal, or for an organ in an animal.Their eyes are situated on the top of the head, sometimes on stalks, and their nostrils are tubular....
- From these same lobsters, we had initially removed the eyestalks and then quickly dissected the sinus glands from both eye - stalks.
- Some deep-sea crinoids have a third body portion, the stalk.
1.3A slender support or stem of an object: drinking glasses with long stalks...
- You cannot assume airs and graces when you are stuck behind a stripped pine desk, with a wee stalk of a microphone in front of you and the media hanging over the banisters waiting to detect the first signs of pomposity and expose it to ridicule.
- This mobile object seemed to have a fragile stalk.
- First, we deal with the case of elastic legs that are connected to the stalk through a free joint.
1.4(In a vehicle) a lever on the steering column controlling the indicators, lights, etc. the control stalk on the car’s fascia...
- The stalks controlling lights and windscreen wipers are to European standards, with lights to the left and wipers to the right.
- The only annoyance is that the wiper and light control stalks remain on the Japanese sides of the steering wheel.
- There are steering column stalks to control the audio and cruise control and expect to find plenty of cubby holes and storage bins.
Derivatives
stalkless
- The stalked forms inhabit the deep oceans, while stalkless forms are commonly found in shallower depths (including the shallows of coral reefs).
- Some sea cucumbers are able to float or swim, and a few stalkless crinoids are also capable of swimming for short periods.
stalk-like
- These are the male part of the flower consisting of pollen-bearing anthers at the end of stalk-like filaments.
- The fleshy, stalk-like pectoral and pelvic fins and similar fleshy second dorsal and anal fins are also unlike any other marine fishes.
- At its end, the tip had a kind of stalk-like thumb, with four longer, softer finger-stalks branching out along its base.
stalky
- And, once winter arrives, the stalky seed heads peek through the drifts of snow.
- The stalky marshland plants huddle in dense bunches on uncultivated areas bordering South Florida's sugar farms.
- A butterfly with wings spread dominates the foreground of Papilio oregonius, so that the swallow-tail's markings are clearly displayed, while stalky reeds part to frame the insect against distant sea and sky.
Origin
Middle English: probably a diminutive of dialect stale 'rung of a ladder, long handle'.
steal from Old English:
Steal has two basic but connected senses: ‘take dishonestly’ and ‘go secretly’. If someone steals your thunder they win attention for themselves by pre-empting your attempt to impress. The source of this expression is surprisingly literal. The English dramatist John Dennis (1657–1734) invented a new method of simulating the sound of thunder as a theatrical sound effect and used it in his unsuccessful play Appius and Virginia. Shortly after he heard the same thunder effects used at a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Dennis was understandably furious. ‘Damn them!’, he fumed, ‘they will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder!’ Stealth (Middle English) is closely connected and originally meant ‘theft’, and the phrase by stealth meant ‘by theft’ in late medieval English. The modern meaning of stealth evolved by homing in on all the furtiveness and secrecy associated with stealing. Stalk [LOE] as in ‘to stalk game’ is another relative, originally meaning ‘walk cautiously or stealthily’. The stalk of a plant (Middle English) is unconnected and may be a form of dialect stale ‘rung of a ladder, long handle’.
Rhymes
stalk2
/stɔːk/verb
1 [with object] Pursue or approach stealthily: a cat stalking a bird...
- This time, however, the birds were starting to stir and make noise, and a neighbourhood cat was stalking one in the grass that was already making a grab for a worm or two.
- White Fang does not make an uproar, but rather follows quietly, stalking the stranger.
- He felt a glow of admiration for Whitepaws; she was now stalking the beast at a safe distance as it approached him.
Synonyms
creep up on, trail, follow, shadow, track down, go after, be after, dog, hound, course, hunt, pursue, chase, give chase to, run after
informal tail
1.1Harass or persecute (someone) with unwanted and obsessive attention: for five years she was stalked by a man who would taunt and threaten her...
- He began associating with gangs, using drugs and verbally harassing and stalking young women.
- Although the case was settled out of court, her father became obsessive, stalking her and paying a private detective to follow her.
- An obsessed psychologist stalked her ex-lover and his new girlfriend before a Hallowe'en night confrontation ended in murder, a court has been told.
1.2chiefly literary Move silently or threateningly through (a place): the tiger stalks the jungle figurative fear stalked the camp...
- But then someone's got to care in a world where Dr Death makes housecalls and fear stalks the land.
- But, as former judge Lord Scarman said a quarter of a century ago, it is when fear is stalking the land that bills of rights are needed most.
- Over the next few days, the tiger stalked the area, leaving footprints in the surrounds.
2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Stride somewhere in a proud, stiff, or angry manner: without another word she turned and stalked out...
- Instantly sorry at what I had done, I stalked off, now angry with myself.
- When the door suddenly opened, the Laird MacCallum looked awfully angry as he stalked quickly out down the hall.
- Angry, she stalked to the couple until she was directly behind Andrew.
Synonyms
strut, stride, march, flounce, storm, stomp, sweep, swagger, prance
noun
1A stealthy pursuit of someone or something: this time the stalk would be on foot...
- We parked the truck and started a stalk of the goats up shale and alpine forbs slopes.
- This technique, called "glassing" allows the hunter to spot the game from some distance away, then plan out a ambush or stalk.
2A stiff, striding gait.Mona let out this little noise of irritation and followed, her walk more of a stalk than a stride....
- He usually sauntered everywhere; now his stride could only be described as a stalk.
- Em's stride was just a few shades below a stalk, so the dribble of people still leaving the school gave way to the irritated girl.
Origin
Late Old English -stealcian (in bistealcian 'walk cautiously or stealthily'), of Germanic origin; related to steal.