a farm building for housing horses or other livestock
"After the rainstorm, we had to rush our horses into the stable before the ground turned too muddy."
A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) animals with hoofs, especially horses.
"The old barn was converted into a stable to house the farm's new herd of thoroughbreds during their winter break."
In plain English: A stable is a building where horses live and are kept safe.
"The horses were fed and watered in the stable before their early morning ride."
to put or keep (an animal) in a stable.
"The farmer asked his son to bring the fresh hay into the barn so he could move the cows from the pasture back into their stables for the night."
In plain English: To make something steady so it does not fall over or shake.
"The farmer drove his horse into the stable to keep it safe overnight."
resistant to change of position or condition
"a stable ladder"
"a stable peace"
"a stable relationship"
"stable prices"
not taking part readily in chemical change
"The old bottle of ether remained stable on the shelf for years because it did not react easily with air or light."
maintaining equilibrium
"The circus acrobat carefully shifted her weight to keep herself stable while balancing on a narrow beam above the crowd."
Relatively unchanging, steady, permanent; firmly fixed or established; consistent; not easily moved, altered, or destroyed.
"The company's financial records showed a stable growth rate over the last decade, proving that their business model was firmly established and unlikely to collapse under market pressure."
In plain English: Stable means something that is steady and not likely to fall over or change suddenly.
"The horse is standing calmly in its stable while the groom brushes its coat."
Usage: Use stable to describe something that remains constant over time, such as a market price or an emotional state, rather than for physical objects which are better described with words like secure or firm. Avoid confusing this adjective with the noun form when referring to a building where animals live.
The word stable entered English through Middle English and Anglo-Norman directly from the Latin stabulum. It originally referred to a building for housing livestock before taking on its modern meaning.