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.
