noun
stock
A sturdy base supporting further parts.
The rifle's wooden stock rests firmly against her shoulder.
Etymology
Old English stocc means a trunk or post. The structural sense preserves that solid supporting base to which other parts are attached.
More examples
- The carpenter checks the wooden stock of the hand plane.
- The gardener grafts a young shoot onto a sturdy stock.
- These rifles have lightweight synthetic stocks instead of wooden ones.
Forms
stock · stocks
rootstock noun — Rooted plant base onto which shoots are grafted.