stable

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsteɪbəl/ UK /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3566

Meanings

1

adj
Firmly fixed and not likely to move, change, or fail.

Make sure the ladder is stable before you climb it.
2

noun
A building where horses are kept and fed.

The horses were led back into the stable for the night.
3

verb
To keep a horse in a stable.

They stable their ponies during the winter.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a building where horses are... horsebarn

More steady unvarying

Opposites

instable mobile unstable varying

Word family

Forms stabledstablerstablesstableststablingstably

Derived forms acid-stableacidostableaerostableantistableastablebiostablebistablechemostablecryostabledorsostablehalostableheterostable

Related forms restablestabledstabler

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

livery stable
a stable where horses and vehicles are kept for hire

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

It is too late to shut the stable-door after the horse is stolen

Simplified etymology

The noun stable came into Middle English from French estable and originally meant a shelter for any domestic animal, including pigs as well as horses. The adjective stable, meaning “firmly fixed,” has a separate origin in Latin stare, “to stand.”

Etymology

From Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”) (itself from stare (“stand”) + -abilis (“able”)). Displaced native Old English staþolfæst.

stable Middle English stabilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# stable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈsteɪbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsteɪ.bəl/
**Frequency rank:** 3566

## Meanings
1. Firmly fixed and not likely to move, change, or fail.
2. A building where horses are kept and fed.
3. To keep a horse in a stable.

## Examples
- Make sure the ladder is stable before you climb it.
- The horses were led back into the stable for the night.
- They stable their ponies during the winter.

## Synonyms
- steady
- unvarying

## Antonyms
- instable
- mobile
- unstable
- varying

## Derived Forms
- acid-stable
- acidostable
- aerostable
- antistable
- astable
- biostable
- bistable
- chemostable
- cryostable
- dorsostable
- halostable
- heterostable

## Related Forms
- restable
- stabled
- stabler

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: stable
- Root: stabilis

## Etymology
From Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”) (itself from stare (“stand”) + -abilis (“able”)). Displaced native Old English staþolfæst.

## AI Etymology
Stable is from Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”) (itself from stare (“stand”) + -abilis (“able”)). Displaced native Old English staþolfæst. In present-day use, it can mean firmly fixed and not likely to move, change, or fail, or a building where horses are kept and fed. Derived formations include acid-stable, acidostable, aerostable, antistable, astable.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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