STALE
What does "STALE" mean?
No longer fresh, having lost flavor, vigor, or interest through age.
Meanings
- Of food, no longer fresh; dry or musty from age. The bread had gone stale overnight.
- No longer new, interesting, or original; trite. His jokes had grown stale after years of repetition. figurative
- Lacking energy or freshness from too much routine or effort. After months without a break she felt stale at work. figurative
- To make or become stale. Constant praise can stale into flattery. formal
Word origin
From Old French 'estale', meaning settled or stagnant (originally of wine left to clear), of Germanic origin, related to 'stand'.
Remember it
STALE = STALL + E: bread that STALLed too long in the air goes stale.
A little poem
Yesterday's warm loaf-
today a clenched grey knuckle
no knife can soften.
haiku
Wordplay
- I told an old bread joke and it fell flat - turns out the punchline had gone stale.
What it teaches
Nothing stays fresh by standing still; even good things sour when they stop moving.
Quick facts
What does STALE mean?
No longer fresh, having lost flavor, vigor, or interest through age.
Is STALE a valid word?
Yes — STALE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is STALE?
STALE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does STALE come from?
From Old French 'estale', meaning settled or stagnant (originally of wine left to clear), of Germanic origin, related to 'stand'.
What can STALE teach us?
Nothing stays fresh by standing still; even good things sour when they stop moving.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.