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adj. stal·er, stal·est 1. Having lost freshness, effervescence, or palatability: stale bread; stale air. 2. Lacking originality or spontaneity: a stale joke. 3. Ineffective or uninspired, usually from being out of practice or from having done the same thing for too long. 4. Law Legally unenforceable because of a claimant's delay in seeking enforcement. tr. & intr.v. staled, stal·ing, stales To make or become stale. [Middle English, settled, clear (used of beer or wine), probably from Old French estale, slack, settled, clear, from estaler, to come to a standstill, halt, from estal, standing place, stand, of Germanic origin; see stel- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] stalely adv. staleness n. |
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