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stretch·er (strĕchər)
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n.
1. A litter, usually of canvas stretched over a frame, used to transport the sick, wounded, or dead.
2. One that stretches, such as the wooden framework on which canvas is stretched for an oil painting.
3. A usually horizontal tie beam or brace serving to support or extend a framework.
4. A brick or stone laid parallel to the face of a wall so that only its long side is showing.
5. Informal An exaggerated or fabricated assertion or anecdote: "That book ... is mostly a true book, with some stretchers" (Mark Twain).
(click for a larger image)
stretcher
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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