English Reference

Word

stool

US/ˈstuɫ/

UK/stˈuːl/

Definitions

01a seat

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a simple seat for one person that has no back or armrests.

n. a backless and armless seat, typically supported by three or four legs or a central pedestal.

“He sat on a high wooden stool at the bar and ordered a coffee.”

“The artist preferred a rotating stool while working, as it allowed him to pivot easily between his canvas and the palette table.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

02medical waste

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Medicine Formal · Technical

n. a formal or medical word for solid waste that leaves the body.

n. a piece of solid waste discharged from the body; excrement.

“The doctor asked the patient to provide a stool sample for the lab test.”

“Changes in stool consistency or frequency can be early clinical indicators of various gastrointestinal disorders.”

Usage

Often used in the singular to refer to the substance or a specific sample.

03plant base

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Cooking Technical

n. the base of a plant or tree that has been cut back to the ground to help it grow new shoots.

n. the base of a plant or tree that has been cut back to ground level to encourage the production of new shoots or suckers.

“The gardener cut the shrub down to a stool to encourage fresh growth in the spring.”

“In traditional coppicing, the tree is reduced to a stool, from which multiple thin poles emerge over the following seasons.”

Synonyms

04to produce new shoots

C2 · Proficiency Science Technical

v. when a plant grows new stems or shoots from its base.

v. to produce new shoots or suckers from the base or a stump; to tiller.

“After the winter pruning, the old roses began to stool vigorously.”

“Certain cereal crops are valued for their ability to stool effectively, increasing the total yield per individual seed planted.”

Synonyms

sproutshoottiller

Etymology

From Middle English stool, stole, stol, from Old English stōl (“chair, seat, throne”), from Proto-West Germanic stōl, from Proto-Germanic stōlaz (“chair”) (compare West Frisian stoel, Dutch stoel, German Stuhl, Swedish/Norwegian/Danish stol, Finnish tuoli, Estonian tool), from Proto-Indo-European stoh₂los (compare Lithuanian stálas, Russian стол (stol, “table”), Russian стул (stul, “chair”), Serbo-Croatian stol (“table”), Slovene stol (“chair”), Albanian kështallë (“crutch”), Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “block of stone used as a prop or buttress to a wall”)), from steh₂- (“to stand”). More at stand. The medical use derives from sense 2 (seat used for defecation).

From Latin stolo. See stolon.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

Domains

AgricultureHorticultureMedicineNautical

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
Frequency
Frequent
Level
B1 · Intermediate
Updated

QR code

englishreference.com/q/stool

English Reference