from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Stable \Sta"ble\, n. [OF. estable, F. ['e]table, from L.
stabulum, fr. stare to stand. See {Stand}, v. i.]
A house, shed, or building, for beasts to lodge and feed in;
esp., a building or apartment with stalls, for horses; as, a
horse stable; a cow stable. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
{Stable fly} (Zool.), a common dipterous fly ({Stomoxys
calcitrans}) which is abundant about stables and often
enters dwellings, especially in autumn; called also
{biting house fly}. These flies, unlike the common house
flies, which they resemble, bite severely, and are
troublesome to horses and cattle. They differ from the
larger {horse fly}.
[1913 Webster]