stalk

¹

[ stawk ]

noun

1. the stem or main axis of a plant.
2. any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule.
3. a similar structural part of an animal.
4. a stem, shaft, or slender supporting part of anything.
5. Automotive. a slender lever, usually mounted on or near the steering wheel, that is used by the driver to control a signal or function:

   The horn button is on the turn-signal stalk.

stalk

²

[ stawk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to pursue or approach prey, quarry, etc., stealthily.
2. to walk with measured, stiff, or haughty strides:

   He was so angry he stalked away without saying goodbye.

3. to proceed in a steady, deliberate, or sinister manner:

   Famine stalked through the nation.

4. Obsolete. to walk or go stealthily along.

verb (used with object)

1. to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily.
2. to proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry:

   to stalk the woods for game.

3. to proceed or spread through in a steady or sinister manner:

   Disease stalked the land.

noun

1. an act or course of stalking quarry, prey, or the like:

   We shot the mountain goat after a five-hour stalk.

2. a slow, stiff stride or gait.

stalk

¹

/ stɔːk /

noun

1. the main stem of a herbaceous plant
2. any of various subsidiary plant stems, such as a leafstalk (petiole) or flower stalk (peduncle)
3. a slender supporting structure in animals such as crinoids and certain protozoans, coelenterates, and barnacles
4. any long slender supporting shaft or column

stalk

²

/ stɔːk /

verb

1. to follow or approach (game, prey, etc) stealthily and quietly
2. to pursue persistently and, sometimes, attack (a person with whom one is obsessed, often a celebrity)
3. to spread over (a place) in a menacing or grim manner

   fever stalked the camp

4. intr to walk in a haughty, stiff, or threatening way

   he stalked out in disgust

5. to search or draw (a piece of land) for prey

noun

1. the act of stalking
2. a stiff or threatening stride

stalk

/ stôk /

1. The main stem of a plant.
2. A slender structure that supports a plant part, such as a flower or leaf.
3. A slender supporting structure in certain other organisms, such as the reproductive structure in plasmodial slime molds or the part of a mushroom below the cap.
4. A slender supporting or connecting part of an animal, such as the eyestalk of a lobster.

Derived Forms

• ˈstalkˌlike, adjective
• ˈstalkless, adjective
• stalked, adjective
• ˈstalker, noun

Other Words From

• stalklike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalk¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English stalk(e), apparently equivalent to Old English stal(u) “stave” + -k diminutive suffix; akin to Norwegian dialect stalk, Swedish stjelk, Danish stilk

Origin of stalk²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb stalken, representing the base of Old English bestealcian “to move stealthily”; akin to steal

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalk¹

C14: probably a diminutive formed from Old English stalu upright piece of wood; related to Old Frisian staal handle

Origin of stalk²

Old English bestealcian to walk stealthily; related to Middle Low German stolkeren , Danish stalke

Related Words

• ambush
• chase
• haunt
• hunt
• pursue
• stride