Past tense of stall; stopped or delayed progress, or caused an engine to stop running.
From Old English steall meaning 'place, position, stable.' Originally referred to a compartment for animals, then evolved to mean any stopping or delaying action by the 14th century.
The connection between a horse stall and a stalled engine reveals how language preserves ancient relationships - both involve something that should be moving but has stopped in a confined space. Politicians who 'stall' legislation are metaphorically keeping it penned up like livestock.
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