stubble
n.n. the short, rough hair that grows back on your face after you shave. It can also mean the short, rough grass or plants left after a crop is harvested.
n. the short, coarse growth of hair on the skin following a shave; alternatively, the short, rough vegetation remaining after a crop has been cut.
He felt the rough stubble on his chin.
The farmer left the stubble in the field to provide shelter for the livestock during the winter months.
The morning light caught the golden stubble of the harvested wheat, casting long shadows across the uneven terrain of the farm.
From Middle English stuble, from Anglo-Norman stuble, estuble, from Old French estoble, esteule (whence Modern French éteule), from Latin stipula (“stalk, straw”). Cognate with Dutch stoppel, Central German Stoppel, Upper German Stupfel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 20, 2026