stock
stock Lexical Profile
stock Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A supply or quantity of goods, materials, or merchandise kept on hand by a business or individual for sale, distribution, or future use.
"The bookstore had to order more copies of the novel after their initial stock sold out in two days."
The capital raised by a corporation through the issue and subscription of shares, or a proportional share of ownership in a company.
"She invested a portion of her savings in technology stocks with strong long-term growth potential."
A flavorful culinary liquid made by gently simmering meat, fish, bones, or vegetables with aromatic herbs in water, used as a base for soups, stews, and sauces.
"Adding homemade chicken stock gives the risotto a rich, savory depth of flavor."
Farm animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, or horses bred and kept for agricultural use or profit; also, a person's or organism's ancestral lineage or breed.
"The ranch raises hardy stock capable of surviving harsh winter conditions on the open range."
An ornamental herbaceous plant of the genus Matthiola (family Brassicaceae), native to the Mediterranean region and widely cultivated in gardens for its dense terminal spikes of richly fragrant, four-petaled blossoms in shades of white, pink, lavender, and purple.
"She planted evening stock beneath the bedroom window so its clove-like scent would drift indoors at dusk."
• adjective
Regularly kept in supply for sale or immediate use by a business or organization.
"The hardware store carries all the standard stock sizes of lumber and plywood."
Conventional, stereotypic, and used so frequently in literature, speech, or drama that it has become trite or predictable.
"The spokesperson gave a stock answer that avoided addressing the journalists' specific questions."
• verb
To keep a regular supply of a particular product or item available for sale or use.
"Our local grocery store now stocks a wide variety of organic produce and imported cheeses."
To fill or equip a place, such as a pantry, shelf, or body of water, with provisions, goods, or fish.
"Before the winter storm arrived, they stocked the cabin with firewood and canned goods."
• Rhymes for stock
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English stocc, meaning a tree trunk, log, or wooden post, from Proto-Germanic *stukkaz. Its financial and commercial senses evolved in the late Middle Ages from the metaphor of a main trunk from which profits and goods branch out.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.