stale1
adj.
(staler, stalest)
- (of food) no longer fresh or pleasant to eat.
- no longer new and interesting.
▸(of a person) no longer performing well because of having done something for too long.
- (of a cheque or legal claim) invalid because out of date.
v.
make or become stale.
Derivative
- stalely adv.
- staleness n.
Etymology
ME (describing beer in the sense ‘clear from long standing’): prob. from Anglo-Norman Fr. and OFr., from estaler ‘to halt’; cf. stall.
stale2
v.
(of a horse or cow) urinate.
Etymology
ME: perh. from OFr. estaler ‘come to a stand, halt’ (cf. stale1).