stool: Meaning and Definition of

stool

Pronunciation: (stl), [key]
— n.
  1. a single seat on legs or a pedestal and without arms or a back.
  2. a short, low support on which to stand, step, kneel, or rest the feet while sitting.
  3. the stump, base, or root of a plant from which propagative organs are produced, as shoots for layering.
  4. the base of a plant that annually produces new stems or shoots.
  5. a cluster of shoots or stems springing up from such a base or from any root, or a single shoot or layer.
  6. a bird fastened to a pole or perch and used as a decoy.
  7. an artificial duck or other bird, usually made from wood, used as a decoy by hunters.
  8. a privy.
  9. the fecal matter evacuated at each movement of the bowels.
  10. the sill of a window. See diag. under
  11. a bishop's seat considered as symbolic of his authority; see.
  12. the sacred chair of certain African chiefs, symbolic of their kingship.
  13. to fail, through hesitation or indecision, to select either of two alternatives.
—v.i.
  1. to put forth shoots from the base or root, as a plant; form a stool.
  2. to turn informer; serve as a stool pigeon.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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