stalk: English has two distinct words stalk. The noun, ‘plant stem’ [14], probably originated as a diminutive form of the now extinct stale ‘long handle’, a word distantly related to Greek steleá ‘handle’. The verb, ‘track stealthily’ [OE], goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *stalkōjan, which was formed from the same base as produced English steal. The sense ‘walk haughtily’, diametrically opposed to ‘track stealthily’, emerged in the 16th century.
stalk (n.)
"stem of a plant," early 14c., probably a diminutive (with -k suffix) of stale "one of the uprights of a ladder, handle, stalk," from Old English stalu "wooden part" (of a tool or instrument), from Proto-Germanic *stalla- (cognates: Old English steala "stalk, support," steall "place"), from PIE *stol-no-, suffixed form of *stol-, variant of root *stel- "to put, stand" (see stall (n.1)). Of similar structures in animals from 1826.
stalk (v.1)
"pursue stealthily," Old English -stealcian, as in bestealcian "to steal along, walk warily," from Proto-Germanic *stalkon, frequentative of PIE *stel-, possibly a variant of *ster- (3) "to rob, steal" (see steal (v.)). Compare hark/hear, talk/tell). In another view the Old English word might be from a sense of stalk (v.1), influenced by stalk (n.). Meaning "harass obsessively" first recorded 1991. Related: Stalked; stalking.
A stalking-horse in literal use was a horse draped in trappings and trained to allow a fowler to conceal himself behind it to get within range of the game; figurative sense of "person who participates in a proceeding to disguise its real purpose" is recorded from 1610s.
stalk (v.2)
"walk haughtily" (nearly the opposite meaning of stalk (v.1)), 1520s, perhaps from stalk (n.) with a notion of "long, awkward strides," or from Old English stealcung "a stalking, act of going stealthily," related to stealc "steep, lofty."
中文解释
1. stand => stalk.2. steal => stalk.3. steal + walk => steal walk => stalk.4. probably from a frequentative of the root of steal (cf. hark from hear, talk from tell).5. "walk haughtily" (opposite meaning of stalk (v1.)) is 1520s, perhaps from stalk (n.) with a notion of "long, awkward strides".6. 就像茎杆一样高高的、高视阔步。
实用例句
1. Once again there'stalk of very dark days ahead.
又有传言说以后的日子会非常艰难。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The lion will often stalk its prey for hours.
狮子经常悄然跟踪猎物达几个小时。
来自《权威词典》
3. A sesame stalk puts forth blossoms notch by notch, higher and higher.
芝麻开花节节高.
来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4. A single pale blue flower grows up from each joint on a long stalk.
一条长长的茎秆的每个节上都会长出一朵浅蓝色的花。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Police officers lie in wait for the gangs who stalk their prey at night.
