stale

adjective staler · more stale · stalest · most stale

1. No longer fresh, in reference to food, urine, straw, wounds, etc. Near-synonyms: gone bad, spoiled; see also Thesaurus:rotten

   Similar: fusty, gone bad, spoiled, bad, gone off, maggoted, rotten

2. No longer fresh, new, or interesting, in reference to ideas and immaterial things; clichéd, hackneyed, dated. Better is...be it new or stale, A harmelesse lie, than a harmefull true tale.

   Similar: banal, played out, trite, bathetic, bromidic, cheesy, stock, clichéd, commonplace, corny, dog-eared, hackneyed

3. usually Not new or recent; having been in place or in effect for some time. In most states, you can be ticketed for failing to clear the intersection, even if you are hemmed in by traffic. One good clue to a stale green light is the pedestrian signal.

   Similar: antediluvian, eldern, venerable, ancient, aged, age-old, auld, cobwebbed, cobwebby, decrepit, eld, gamol

4. Unreasonably long in coming, in reference to claims and actions. a stale affidavit
5. Worn out, particularly due to age or over-exertion, in reference to athletes and animals in competition. By this means the [horse's] legs are not made more stale than necessary.

   Similar: clapped out, decrepit, passé, damaged, defective, deteriorated, dilapidated, effete, faulty, munted, outworn, past it

6. Out of date, unpaid for an unreasonable amount of time, particularly in reference to checks. Stale cheque,...a cheque which has remained unpaid for some considerable time.
7. Of data: out of date; not synchronized with the newest copy. The bug was found to be caused by stale data in the cache.
8. obsolete, of people No longer nubile or suitable for marriage; past one's prime. Near-synonyms: over the hill; see also Thesaurus:elderly

   Similar: matronly, past it, over the hill, elder, elderly, geriatric, gerontologic, gerontological, long in the tooth, matured, of a certain age, old as Methuselah

9. obsolete, of alcohol Clear, free of dregs and lees; old and strong. The stronger Beere is divided into two parts (viz.) mild and stale; the first may ease a man of a drought, but the later is like water cast into a Smiths forge, and breeds more heartburning, and as rust eates into Iron, so overstale Beere gnawes auletholes in the entrales, or else my skill failes, a
10. obsolete Fallow, in reference to land. Lime would do very little or no good on stale ploughed lands.

Opposite: fresh

noun stales

1. colloquial Something stale; a loaf of bread or the like that is no longer fresh. I went to Riggs's batty-cake shop, and asked 'em for a penneth of the cheapest and nicest stales, that were all but blue-mouldy, but not quite.

verb stales · staling · staled

1. transitive To make stale; to cause to go out of fashion or currency; to diminish the novelty or interest of, particularly by excessive exposure or consumption. Ile goe tell all the Argument of his Play aforehand, and so stale his Inuention to the Auditory before it come foorth.
2. intransitive To become stale; to grow odious from excessive exposure or consumption. They have got so much of Christ as to be staled of his company.
3. intransitive, of alcohol To become stale; to grow unpleasant from age. The Drink from that Time flattens and stales.
4. obsolete, transitive, of alcohol To make stale; to age in order to clear and strengthen (a drink, especially beer). Stalyn, or make stale drynke, defeco.

noun stales · stele · steal · steel · stail

1. A long, thin handle (of rakes, axes, etc.) In Case your Cask is a Butt,...have ready boiling...Water, which put in, and, with a long Stale and a little Birch fastened to its End, scrub the Bottom.
2. dialectal One of the posts or uprights of a ladder. Stales, the staves, or risings of a ladder, or the staves of a rack in a stable.
3. One of the rungs on a ladder. To begin then: not long before this paragraph was written, P fell into doze, and dreamt, he saw Jacob's ladder with one foot standing on the earth, the other reaching up into heaven. Dukes, Marquisses, and other Peers, fancy represented to him, as standing on the upper stales; on the middle ones, Kn
4. obsolete The stem of a plant.
5. The shaft of an arrow, spear, etc. The Surgians cut of the stale of that shaft in suche wise, that they moued not the heade that was wythin the fleshe.

Similar: handle, haft, helve, shaft, snath, the shaft of a scythe, stem

verb stales · staling · staled

1. obsolete, transitive To make a ladder by joining rungs ("stales") between the posts. For stalyng of the ladders of the Churche xx d.

noun stales

1. obsolete A fixed position, particularly a soldier's in a battle-line. Wherefore they had a great avauntage, but in coclusion thie french menne were slayne, and their horses taken, and so the lyght horsement came wyth their catail, nere to the embushment, and the frenchimen folowed, that seyng the englyshmen that kept the stale, came in al hast & rescued their light ho
2. uncommon A stalemate; a stalemated game. They stand at a stay; Like a Stale at Chesse, where it is no Mate, but yet the Game cannot stirre.
3. obsolete An ambush. It is a stelling place and sovir harbry, Quhar ost in staill or embuschment may ly.
4. obsolete A band of armed men or hunters. The staill past throw the wod with sic noyis...yat all the bestis wer rasit fra thair dennys.
5. Scotland, obsolete The main force of an army. Neveryeles I knaw asweill by Englisemen as Scottishmen that their stale was no les then thre thowsand men.

adjective

1. not comparable, obsolete At a standstill; stalemated. Then drawith he & is stale.

verb stales · staling · staled

1. transitive, uncommon To stalemate. He shall stale þe black kyng in the pointe þer the crosse standith.
2. intransitive, obsolete To be stalemated. For vnder cuire I got sik check, that I micht neither muife nor neck, bot ather stale or mait.

noun

1. obsolete, uncountable Urine, especially used of horses and cattle. […]That they be not compelled to eate their owne donge, and drinke their owne stale with you?

verb stales · staling · staled

1. intransitive, obsolete To urinate, especially used of horses and cattle. Gif ony stal in the yet of the gilde...he sall gif iiijd. to the mendis.

noun stales

1. obsolete A live bird to lure birds of prey or others of its kind into a trap. Like vnto the fowlers, that by their stales draw other birdes into their nets.
2. obsolete Any lure, particularly in reference to people used as live bait. She ran in all the hast Vnbrased and vnlast... It was a stale to take the deuyll in a brake.
3. obsolete An accomplice of a thief or criminal acting as bait. Their mynisters, be false bretherne or false sustern, stales of the deuyll.
4. obsolete a partner whose beloved abandons or torments him in favor of another. I perceiue Lucilla (sayd he) that I was made thy stale, and Philautus thy laughinge stocke.
5. obsolete A patsy, a pawn, someone used under some false pretext to forward another's (usu. sinister) designs; a stalking horse. That of the two nominated, one should be an unfit Man, and as it were a Stale, to bring the Office to the other.
6. obsolete A prostitute of the lowest sort; any wanton woman. Spare not to tell him, that he hath wronged his honor in marrying the renowned Claudio...to a contaminated stale.
7. obsolete Any decoy, either stuffed or manufactured. 'Tis the living bird that makes the best stale to draw others into the net.

verb stales · staling · staled

1. obsolete, rare, transitive To serve as a decoy, to lure. The eye...Doth serue to stale her here and there where she doth come and go.