Stocks (Noun)
Meaning 1
A frame that supports a boat while it is under construction.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Usages
Examples
- The boat builder carefully positioned the hull on the stocks to ensure it was straight and level.
- The shipyard's stocks were custom-made to accommodate the unique design of the sailboat.
- Before launching the vessel, the crew had to remove it from the stocks and transport it to the water.
- The traditional boat builder used wooden stocks to construct the frame of the small fishing boat.
- The company invested in new stocks to support the construction of larger, more complex boats.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
A frame for constraining an animal while it is receiving veterinary attention or while being shod.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Usages
Examples
- The farrier led the horse into the stocks to trim its hooves.
- The veterinarian had to sedate the nervous cat before placing it in the stocks for examination.
- The horse was led into the stocks, where it was held securely in place while the blacksmith worked on its hooves.
- The animal was carefully positioned in the stocks to prevent it from moving during the procedure.
- The farm's stocks were sturdy and well-maintained, ensuring the safety of both the animals and the handlers.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
A former instrument of punishment consisting of a heavy timber frame with holes in which the feet (and sometimes the hands) of an offender could be locked.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Usages
Examples
- The town square still had the old stocks on display, a relic of a bygone era of public punishment.
- In medieval times, the stocks were a common sight in marketplaces, where wrongdoers would be locked in for all to see.
- The museum had a replica of the stocks, complete with iron cuffs and a heavy wooden frame.
- The villagers would often gather to jeer at those placed in the stocks, a form of public shaming.
- The old stocks had been converted into a bench, a quirky piece of furniture in the town's historic park.