stop
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: stŏp
ipa: /stɒp/
enpr: stäp
ipa: /stɑp/
ipa: [stɔp]
ipa: [stɔ(ː)p]
rhymes: -ɒp
Forms: form: stops
Etymology: From Middle English stoppen, stoppien, from Old English stoppian (“to stop, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic *stuppōną (“to stop, close”), *stuppijaną (“to push, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-, *(s)tewb- (“to push; stick”), from *(s)tew- (“to bump; impact; butt; push; beat; strike; hit”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian stopje (“to stop, block”), West Frisian stopje (“to stop”), Dutch stoppen (“to stop”), Low German stoppen (“to stop”), German stopfen (“to be filling, stuff”), German stoppen (“to stop”), Danish stoppe (“to stop”), Swedish stoppa (“to stop”), Icelandic stoppa (“to stop”), Middle High German stupfen, stüpfen (“to pierce”). More at stuff, stump.
Alternative etymology derives Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn from an assumed Vulgar Latin *stūpāre, *stuppāre (“to stop up with tow”), from stūpa, stīpa, stuppa (“tow, flax, oakum”), from Ancient Greek στύπη (stúpē), στύππη (stúppē, “tow, flax, oakum”). This derivation, however, is doubtful, as the earliest instances of the Germanic verb do not carry the meaning of "stuff, stop with tow". Rather, these senses developed later in response to influence from similar sounding words in Latin and Romance.
Senses: examples: text: They agreed to meet at the bus stop.
glosses: A (usually marked) place where buses, trams or trains halt to let passengers get on and off, usually smaller than a station.
examples: text: That stop was not planned.
text: It is […] doubtful […] whether it contributed anything to the stop of the infection.
ref: 1722, Daniel Defoe, Journal of the Plague Year:
text: Occult qualities put a stop to the improvement of natural philosophy.
ref: 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:
text: It is a great step toward the mastery of our desires to give this stop to them.
ref: 1693, [John Locke], “§107”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
glosses: An action of stopping; interruption of travel.
examples: text: A fatal stop trauerst their headlong course
ref: 1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:
text: So melancholy a prospect should inspire us with zeal to oppose some stop to the rising torrent.
ref: a. 1729, John Rogers, The Advantages of conversing with good Men:
glosses: That which stops, impedes, or obstructs; an obstacle; an impediment.
examples: text: door stop
glosses: A device intended to block the path of a moving object
topics: engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A device intended to block the path of a moving object
A device, or piece, as a pin, block, pawl, etc., for arresting or limiting motion, or for determining the position to which another part shall be brought.
topics: architecture
glosses: A device intended to block the path of a moving object
A member, plain or moulded, formed of a separate piece and fixed to a jamb, against which a door or window shuts.
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
synonyms: plosive
occlusive
glosses: A consonant sound in which the passage of air is temporarily blocked by the lips, tongue, or glottis.
glosses: A symbol used for purposes of punctuation and representing a pause or separating clauses, particularly a full stop, comma, colon or semicolon.
examples: text: The organ is loudest when all the stops are pulled.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A knob or pin used to regulate the flow of air in an organ.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: One of the vent-holes in a wind instrument, or the place on the wire of a stringed instrument, by the stopping or pressing of which certain notes are produced.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
tennis
glosses: A very short shot which touches the ground close behind the net and is intended to bounce as little as possible.
examples: text: The Foxes were indebted to two crucial saves from keeper Kasper Schmeichel, who turned former Leicester defender Ben Chilwell's header on to a post then produced an even better stop to turn Mason Mount's powerful shot wide.
ref: 2021 May 15, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-1 Leicester”, in BBC Sport:
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
soccer
sports
glosses: A save; preventing the opposition from scoring a goal
examples: text: The stop in a bulldog's face is very marked.
topics: biology
natural-sciences
zoology
glosses: The depression in a dog’s face between the skull and the nasal bones.
examples: text: The American Rabbit Breeders Association holds that the stops of a Dutch rabbit should be white from the toes to one third of the way along the foot.
glosses: A marking on a rabbit's hind foot.
topics: arts
hobbies
lifestyle
photography
glosses: A part of a photographic system that reduces the amount of light.
topics: arts
hobbies
lifestyle
photography
glosses: A unit of exposure corresponding to a doubling of the brightness of an image.
topics: arts
hobbies
lifestyle
photography
glosses: An f-stop.
glosses: The diaphragm used in optical instruments to cut off the marginal portions of a beam of light passing through lenses.
topics: fencing
government
hobbies
lifestyle
martial-arts
military
politics
sports
war
glosses: A coup d'arret, or stop thrust.
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: Ellipsis of full stop.
Derived terms: all-way stop
a quick drop and a sudden stop
a short drop and a sudden stop
back-stop
backstop
band-stop
boulevard stop
buffer stop
bus stop
Californian stop
California stop
come to a stop
comfort stop
country stop
dead stop
doorstop
double stop
draft stop
emergency stop
e-stop
expression stop
felony stop
felony traffic stop
field stop
firestop
fire-stop
fire stop
flag stop
flute stop
four-way stop
f-stop
f stop
full stop
full-stop landing
glottal stop
gravel stop
ground stop
hard stop
hockey stop
Idaho stop
knee stop
limited-stop
long-stop
long stop
mail stop
mechanical stop
non-stop
nonstop
one-stop
one-stop shop
organ stop
pit stop
pit-stop
plough stop
plow stop
pole-stop
pretextual stop
pull out all the stops
put a stop to
quadruple stop
reed stop
request stop
rest stop
rolling stop
safety stop
short stop
skill-stop
skip-stop
solder stop
stop and search
stop bead
stop clock
stop codon
stop error
stop lamp
stoplog
stop loss
stop-motion
stop motion
stop order
stop-phrase
stop plank
stop set
stop squark
stopstreet
stop-tap
stop valve
string stop
suction stop
tab stop
take out the stops
technical stop
Terry stop
three stops short of Dagenham
three-way stop
time stop
toe stop
traffic stop
train stop
tram stop
triple stop
truck stop
T-stop
turn stop
wage stop
Waterhouse stop
water stop
whistle-stop