stock
adjective/stɒk/
/stɑːk/
[only before noun]- (disapproving) a stock excuse, answer, etc. is one that is often used because it is easy and convenient, but that is not very original
- ‘No comment,’ was the actor's stock response.
- Her stock excuse was: ‘I’m washing my hair tonight’.
- usually available for sale in a shop synonym standard
- stock sizes
Word OriginOld English stoc(c) ‘trunk, block of wood, post’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stok and German Stock ‘stick’. The notion ‘store, fund’ (senses (1) to (5)) arose in late Middle English and is of obscure origin, perhaps expressing “growth from a central stem” or “firm foundation”.
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stock