stope means A mining excavation in the form of a terrace of steps.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, stope ranks #16,749 of 42,762 for Qualifying.
stope is pronounced [stoʊp].
Etymology
Apparently related to step, but with uncertain phonological development. Perhaps from a German Low German word like Stoop (“step”), from Middle Low German stōpe (“step”). More at stoop.
noun
- A mining excavation in the form of a terrace of steps.e.g.“The other smell […] that worked its way into your clothes, your skin, your spirit, believed here to rise by way of long-deserted drifts and stopes, from the everyday atmosphere of Hell itself.” — 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 318:
verb
- To excavate in the form of stopes.
- To fill in with rubbish, as a space from which the ore has been worked out.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- stoping 77% match — The removal of the desired ore from an underground mine, leaving behind an open space known as a stope. vs stope →
- stepwork 65% match — A construction in the form of steps. vs stope →
- costean 61% match — A trench in solid rock intersected by pits which reveals mineral veins. vs stope →
- studdle 61% match — A prop supporting a platform in a mine. vs stope →
- stulm 60% match — A shaft, conduit, adit, or gallery to drain a mine. vs stope →
- stowse 60% match — To mark (mining ground) with a stowce or stowces. vs stope →
- stowing 59% match — A method of working in which the waste is packed into the space formed by excavating the vein. vs stope →
- stoppage 59% match — A pause or halt of some activity. vs stope →