Stallion

Forms: α. 4 stalun, 4–5 staloun, 4–6 stalon, (5 stalan, stolon, 6 erron. stalume), 6 stallon(e; β. 6 stal(l)ant, stalland(e, staulande, stalaunt; γ. (5 stalyone), 6–7 stalion, (7 stallian, stallyon), 6– stallion. [a. OF. estalon (mod.F. étalon), whence Anglo-L. stalōnus; corresp. to It. stallone:—popular L. *stallōnem, f. Teut. *stallo- stable, STALL sb.¹ The β forms appear to be due to confusion of the ending with the ppl. suffix -ANT (cf. gallande, gallante GALLON); the influence that produced the γ forms is obscure.]

  1.  A male horse not castrated, an entire horse, esp. one kept for the purpose of serving mares.

  α.  1388.  Wyclif, Eccl. xxxiii. 6. An hors a staloun, so and a frend a scornere, neiȝeth vundur ech sittynge aboue. Ibid., Jer. v. 8. Thei be mand horsis, and stalouns, louyeris to wymmen.

1390.  Gower, Conf., III. 280. Bot as a cock among the Hennes, Or as a Stalon in the Fennes, Which goth amonges al the Stod.

c. 1440.  Pallad. on Husb., IV. 799. Fed stalons faat goth now to gentyl maris. Ibid., 802. Let euery stolon haue as he is abul.

14[?].  Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 697/40. Hic emissarius, a stalan.

1530.  Palsgr., 275/1. Stalume horse, haras.

1537.  Darcy in Lett. Suppress. Monasteries (Camden), 158. For ssurly the breed of Gervayes ffor horses was the tryed breed in the northe, the stallones, and mares well ssoortyd.

  β.  1519.  Horman, Vulg., 176. I wyll not sylle my stalant.

1530.  Palsgr., 275/1. Stallant a horse, haras.

1541.  Act 33 Hen. VIII., c. 5. Nobles … hauing parkes, should kepe mares, and finde staulandes for breed and encrease of horses.

1592.  Timme, Ten Eng. Lepers, I 3. In the desire of uncleane lust, they are become like unto stallandes.

  γ.  c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 472/1. Stalyone, hors, emissarius.

1577.  Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. (1586), 126. The stallion that you meane to haue for your race of moiles, must be as faire as you can get.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 297. The King of Babilon … had eight hundreth Stalions, which were admitted to couer sixe thousand Mares.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 118. The Colt that for a Stallion is design’d, By sure Presages shows his generous Kind.

1774.  Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), II. 352. March,… at which time the mares are given to the stallion.

1842.  Longf., Slave’s Dream, iv. At each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel Smiting his stallion’s flank.

1861.  Times, 11 July, 7/2. The first and highest legitimate vocation of a thorough-bred stallion is as a sire.

  b.  transf. Applied to a male dog or sheep with reference to its use for breeding.

1802.  W. B. Daniel, Rur. Sports, II. 490. Dash [a dog] … had the misfortune to break his leg, and was sent to Col. T. who … considered him in that state a great acquisition as a stallion to breed from.

1842.  [see stallion-breeder in 5].

  c.  As the name of a plant (see quot.).

1878.  Britten & Holland, Plant-n., Stallions (Yks. W. Riding), or Stallions and Mares. Yks. (Wensleydale). Arum maculatum, L.

  2.  Applied to a person. † a. A begetter. Obs.

c. 1305.  Land Cokaygne, 167. Þe monke þat wol be stalun gode … He schal hab wiþute danger .xii. wiues euche ȝere.

1621.  Burton, Anat. Mel., I. ii. I. vi. 85. When no choice is had, but still the eldest must marry, as so many stallions of the Race.

  † b.  A man of lascivious life; in later use, a woman’s hired paramour. Obs.

1553.  trans. Gardiner’s De Vera Obed., To Rdr. B j. [They] thinke it more mete for wanton wagtaile weston to be turned out for a stalaunt … than to vse ani kinde of communication among worthi ladies.

1623.  Massinger, Dk. Milan, IV. ii. He, that at euerie stage keeps liuerie Mistresses, The stallion of the State!

1676.  Shadwell, Virtuoso, IV. What are you, her Stallion, and her Bravo too?

1680.  R. Mansell, Narr. Popish Plot, 99. Her Mistress had got an ill Repute, by keeping Willoughby for her Stallion.

1714.  T. Lucas, Mem. Gamesters (ed. 2), 193. A Marchioness in Naples … kept him as her Stallion.

1755.  Monitor, I. No. 15. 129. It was a complaint in our wars with Holland, that our losses were owing to the stallions and bastards of lewd women, who had interest at court.

1796.  Grose’s Dict. Vulgar T. (ed. 3), Stallion, a man kept by an old lady for secret services.

  † 3.  A courtesan. Obs.

  [Perh. another word: cf. F. estalon (Cotgr.) a decoy; also STALE sb.³ 4.]

1575.  Laneham, Lett. (1871), 24. Then folloed the worshipfull Bride…. But a stale stallion … God wot, and an il smelling, waz she.

1584.  B. R., trans. Herodotus, II. 102 b. Willing her … to abandon chastity for the time, making hirselfe a common stalant for all that would come. Ibid., 107.

1604.  Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 616 (2nd Qo.). That I … Must like a whore vnpacke my hart with words, And fall a cursing like a very drabbe; a stallyon, fie vppont, foh. [1603, 1st Qo. reads a scalion. Ff. read scullion.]

1635.  Life Long Meg of Westminster, iii. (1816), 6. Marry Master Vicar, quoth Meg, just fiue shillings and three pence. Fiue shillings and three pence, quoth he; why I tell thee foule Stallion, I owe but three shillings and a penny.

a. 1670.  Hacket, Cent. Serm. (1675), 600. Doth the Adulterer look for impunity that he walks to his stallion by twilight?

  4.  ? A stand for showing goods.

  [Possibly a distinct word, connected with STALL sb.¹ or OF. estaler to display. But cf. HORSE sb. 7.]

1752.  Gentl. Mag., XXII. 348. Plate. The Porcelain Manufactory at Worcester. 10. (b). The eight windows in two large chambers, in which the ware is placed on stallions.

  5.  attrib. and Comb., chiefly appositive, as stallion ass, horse, hound, † pen (fig.), steed; objective, as stallion-breeder; similative, as stallion-like adv.; † stallion teeth, the eye-teeth of a horse.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 558. It is most commodious and necessary to gett such a *Stalion Asse to the procreation of Mules.

1842.  Bischoff, Woollen Manuf. (1862), II. 385. There are a great many tup or *stallion-breeders too ready to omit this essential ceremony of inspection.

1889.  T. T. Stoddart, Angling Songs, 272.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 297. Therefore it behooueth that a *Stalion Horsse be not vnder three yeares old when he couereth a Mare.

1826.  J. Cook, Fox-hunting, 10. A word now on the subject of *Stallion-hounds.

1904.  J. Anstruther-Thomson, Eighty Years’ Remin., II. 134. A hound show took place at Haddington in July, 1876. In that [the class] for stallion hounds, Fife were first with ‘Woodman.’

1605.  Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iii. I. Vocation, 1155. Those … *Stalion-like, after their beauties neigh’d.

1737.  M. Green, Spleen, 347 (1796), 25.

1597.  Bp. Hall, Sat., IV. i. 112. Some snout-fayre stripling … Whom staked vp like to some *stallion-steed They keepe with Egs and Oysters for the breed.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 285. It is a hard thing for a Horsse to haue a good mouth, except his *stallion teeth bee pulled out, for when he is chafed or heated, he cannot be helde backe by his rider.