Added 9 October 2026
stock
/stɒk/ noun
In Latin: stirps, prōsāpia Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about stock at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity).
he owns a controlling share of the company's stock
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The merchandise that a shop has on hand.
they carried a vast inventory of hardware
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The handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun.
the rifle had been fitted with a special stock
verb
adjective
Origin
From Middle English stok, from Old English stocc, from Proto-West Germanic *stokk, from Proto-Germanic *stukkaz (“tree-trunk”). Modern senses are mostly referring either to the trunk from which the tree grows (figuratively, its origin and/or support/foundation), or to a piece of wood, stick, or rod. The senses of "supply" and "raw material" arose from a probable conflation with steck (“an item of goods, merchandise”) or the use of split tally sticks consisting of foil or counterfoil and stock to capture paid taxes, debts or exchanges. Doublet of chock.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)